Case Studies from the Public Service Transformation Academy Public Service: State of Transformation 2018 Case Studies from the Public Service Transformation Academy

Public service: state of transformation 2018 case studies from the public service transformation academy Public Service: State of Transformation 2018 case studies from the Public Service Transformation Academy

First published 2018 by Public Service Transformation Publishing 27-29 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1SZ [email protected] 0203 771 2608

ISBN 978-1-9996851-1-9 (self-printed) 978-1-9996851-3-3 (electronic version) 978-1-9996851-7-1 (Amazon printed and fulfilled version) As yet unallocated (Amazon kindle version)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

The Public Service Transformation Academy is a company limited by guarantee, company number 10046052

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Editor: Benjamin P Taylor Sub-editors: Catherine Turnell All design and setting: Nataša Sears

With thanks to all authors, sponsors, supporters, and the PSTA Board and team and RedQuadrant team. It doesn’t have to be this way! www.publicservicetransformation.org Content

Introduction – Benjamin Taylor 5 Engaging with citizens as whole people 12 Alliance makes an impact on rough sleeping in Cornwall 12 A new approach: overhauling Lambeth’s mental health service 14 Helping the ‘hard to reach’: ‘it’s all about empathy’ 16 ‘Health is no longer about the absence of disease’ 18 Giving victims a voice: Stevenage Against Domestic Abuse 21 Fostering success: Birmingham’s Step Down project 23 From service user to citizen: meet The Pod 24 Supporter – Think Local Act Personal 26 The art of the matter: creativity as medicine 27 Staying up late: opening up nightlife to people with learning disabilities The headlines 28 Strengthening communication in autism diagnoses 30 Harnessing the power of place and community 32 Wisbech: reawakening the historic capital of the Fens 32 Spending close to home pays dividends in Preston 34 Community Asset Transfer: a ‘win-win’ for all in Milton Keynes 35 Co-production of early years’ services in Queen’s Park 37 When being affordable is a community effort – community housing 41 Collaborative working 45 Ringing the changes in Braunstone blue light services 45 ‘What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?’ Why commissioners should stop commissioning and start collaborating – Citizen Commissioners in Sutton 46 ‘It’s a simple process – the best ideas always are’ – reducing violence in Cardiff through collaboration 48 ‘All the complexity but none of the scale.’ Transforming Guernsey’s Health and Care Services 50 New models of commissioning and governance 51 Ticket to ride: getting Jersey back on the buses 51 Strength in numbers: the Pan London Care Impact Partnership 53 Energising the future: the Social Impact Bond story 54 Cooperative joy gives Plymouth new energy 56

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 3 Partner – the Co-operative Councils Innovation Network 56 Epic CIC – going independent to sustain youth services 58 The rise of Cleveland, USA’s green cooperatives 59 Solving care’s workforce shortages via prospects and qualifications – CASA group 61 Transforming service delivery 63 Rethinking planning in Wolverhampton 63 CATERed – finding the recipe for successful co-operative working 64 When only humans can solve human problems – housing allocations in Great Yarmouth 66 Public health and children’s services integrated working – Coventry City Council 69 Announcing the launch of govtransformation.org 70 Innovation, data, and technology 71 Big data traffic pilot in motion in Philippines71 Floods to space flights: government challenging startups to solve intractable problems 72 Supporter – apolitical 73 How can policymakers get the most out of data? Ask Churchill 74 Winning London Borough of Culture without a project plan – Waltham Forest’s agile story 76 The Public Service Transformation Academy – what we offer 78

4 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy The State of Transformation – it doesn’t have to be this way by Benjamin Taylor, Chief Executive, Public Service Transformation (PSTA) Academy and Managing Partner, RedQuadrant

Transformation. It’s one of those a long time learning some pretty power words, like leadership, painful lessons, and who realise that I’m overjoyed community, engagement, outcomes. while there are no simple answers They sound good, to complex problems, there is a at the passion so they get added to ‘sell’ lots mix of insight, compassion, and of initiatives or projects, but they are grit which will see you through. that these pieces overused and often meaningless. ‘Soft heart, strong spine’, as some So, over time, ‘transformation’ has Buddhists say. But, at the same reflect, the vim become degraded. And besides, time, there are Tories here and nobody really agrees what it means socialists, social workers and city and vigour in the anyway – and everyone tends to lawyers, police officers, and social face of the current see it through their own specialist entrepreneurs who are running lens. ‘Transformation is all about very serious businesses, not just challenges facing digital’, ‘it’s about agile and smart adopting a fancy title. They share working’, ‘it’s about community a passion, and with that passion public services. empowerment’. Except they comes some strong language don’t say it, because to them, it’s and strong opinions. I should blindingly obvious, and they can’t make the usual disclaimer that all imagine it meaning anything else. opinions expressed in our report are While there are no opinions… In this process, we set out to simple answers usefully survey what transformation At the PSTA, we feel a responsibility could mean in public services. I’m to understand what is really to complex overjoyed at the passion that these happening, to define what might pieces reflect, the vim and vigour in happen, to recommend what those problems, there the face of the current challenges who really care about public service facing public services. With some transformation should be doing. is a mix of insight, common themes and common Our survey went out to hundreds goals, from the failure of Carillion of practitioners including our compassion, and as a symptom of a deeper system Commissioning Academy, Leading grit which will malaise, to the need to engage Transformation, and Service with people as real, equal, human Transformation Programme alumni, see you through. beings, you could be forgiven for and the results are fascinating. thinking all the authors are drawn Launched at our public service: ‘Soft heart, strong from a narrow ideological set. Well, state of transformation conference, that’s true in a sense. They are all it doesn’t have to be this way, spine’, as some people who are passionate about our survey, case study, and think public services, who have spent pieces provide a real overview. Buddhists say.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 5 The state of transformation survey

Predictions for the future of public service transformation

l Constant and necessary 40 change, driven by austerity / unsustainability 44% l More integration 24% 30 l Smaller public services, more self reliance 16% l 20 Digitalisation 8% l Increased demand 4% l 10 Market factors will be key 4%

0 Learning, transformation, and change are the order of the day – for the foreseeable future. There are sets of paradoxes hidden here: l Austerity vs the challenges of increased demand and approaching limits of sustainability l Smaller public services – a retreating state – versus more integration and more local drivers.

Survey feedback on key transformation initiatives

Health and care integration, as well

as digital delivery were identified most ‘ often as the most significant current ‘ transformation initiatives. The Wigan Deal was mentioned a number of times as being one of the best examples of transformation.

6 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy So, what have we found? Well, we’ve found that true leaders of transformation need to balance what we call the ‘five worlds’ of transformation – that action needs to be taken in leadership and management, in organisation/service delivery, in learning and change, and reaching out into citizen world. We use a map I created in RedQuadrant to help to navigate this:

In the world of learning, improving, reflecting, the key factors are: l Learning lessons – including from our optimism bias and structures that create transformation projects that are ‘doomed to succeed’ – and sharing this knowledge l Use small trials and iterations with good design to counter this and make change work l Understanding markets as of success or failure, and leaders – balancing this with our public being good servants and bad must accept their responsibility for service ethos, but knowing it masters, and managing and the culture of their organisation. is about a way of thinking with thinking about unintended This means understanding that commercial awareness, more than consequences and external shocks behaviour change applies to us – simply spinning off and trading like ‘Brexit’ personally – and we need to think parts of our organisations about the dynamics behind social l Understanding and working with l This means increasing public movements as much as hard the implications of our structures – service productivity and structures, funding etc for example, the systemic way that understanding our contribution to central / local relationships work, l This means a re-ignited the local economy – and our impact learning to work collaboratively and conversation about ethics and on it. Can we weigh up a hundred steering increased public service genuinely protecting the vulnerable pounds of efficiency versus a integration – including equality and diversity, hundred pounds of economic and including proper mourning impact? l Learning the shortcomings, the for what we have lost as the world limitations in practice – and the l Collaborating better across all changes possibilities of ‘commissioning’, kinds of boundaries, uniting around particularly in terms of the wider l And it means a powerful but a shared public service ethos, market, system, and individual not power-based view of and understanding that we need impacts commissioning as taking real something like ‘commissioning’ to responsibility for total system link and create proper feedback l And realising that, to achieve outcomes. loops between ‘policy’ and organisational transformation, you l ‘delivery’ will have to go through a personal Ultimately, we need to reconnect transformation – and it might not all people with a true role of public l In doing this, we have to be be fun! services. This might include what careful not to throw the ‘baby out we’ve coined as ‘public service with the bathwater’. Discipline, In the worlds of management and disobedience’ – standing up hierarchy, well-functioning silos and leadership, the key factors are: against what you know to be wrong professional values will be more and counterproductive, even at important, not less. They just have l Our realisation that cultural issues personal cost to learn to exist in a networked, are the major enablers and the l Adopting commercial mindset and interdependent world overwhelming barriers to change thinking about income generation – culture is the big determinant

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 7 The state of transformation survey

Barriers to transformation

Secondary: Biggest:

process-overload resourcesredundancies disinterest shortfalls pace traditional working changedecision culture non-evidence barrier distrust fraud fixed standardised forget mixed-messages savings engagement lack hierachies data demands old-fashioned appetite slow disengaged boundaries silo specialist weak corruption poor partnership kick-back cultural no-action risk-aversionunfocused relationships short-termism politics closed fatigued non-functioning fear resistance block insuficient incompatible status-quo over-engineering low-expectations cultures non-distributive

Biggest drivers of transformation engagement system-thinking flexible different department curiosity culture consensus behaviour strong leadership outside-intrust education ethical burning-platform societyvision freedom purpose effective collaborative workflows intervention change compelling

8 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy In the world of organisation, l This means thinking about citizen is involved. We will only structure, and service delivery, how we can still deliver – and succeed with real transformation we see increases in the complexity refocus on – early help and early if we start by seeing citizens of the tools we have available to intervention, and reconsidering and communities are truly equal meet the complexity of the world: our ‘universal offers’ – breaking partners. down our offer into small l We note the eternal recurrence chunks and considering them All of this means recognising power of ‘new delivery models’ – independently won’t work dynamics, and giving away a lot mutuals, social enterprise, joint any more of power. So, it gets harder. Thank commissioning partnerships – God, we have some case studies and that, while these are usually l There is potential for social value that show this doesn’t require seen as ‘silver bullet’ solutions, in and outcome focus to help recast superhuman, massive minds – fact they simply add to the public this situation as not about ‘more it requires patience, learning, service tool box. Rather than with less’ but ‘the best that can openness, determination, and solving our problems, they create be achieved by all of us together getting the details right. Leaders new ways to surface inherent with everything we’ve got’ now need to balance predictable, tensions and complexity l We are now thinking about programmatic, sometimes very the disabling aspects of the l Likewise, social investment, now complicated technical change relationship between public creating (or making visible) a true (optimising the use of resources, services and citizens (or as we ‘mixed market’ for public service better procurement, waste de-personalise them, ‘service funding as well as provision, reduction) with more complex, brings out real complexity, users’), and how we can turn makes the world a more this around complicated place, and gives us more room for manoeuvre, which can be overwhelming and distracting, but needs to be seen Leaders now need to balance as empowering choice predictable, programmatic, sometimes l We need to take responsibility for the whole system (the whole ‘five very complicated technical change worlds’ map), even if we are only formally responsible for a tiny (optimising the use of resources, part of it better procurement, waste reduction) l Digital and the supposed march of the ‘bots’ and AI provide just with more complex, emergent, another part of the jigsaw, albeit transformational, unpredictable change a set of capabilities which, like the introduction of electricity, will – prevention, enabling, getting it right infuse everything we do in the very near future first time – that necessarily involve coproduction with citizens Finally, and most importantly, in the world of citizens and communities: l We are now looking at the harsh l At the heart of all of this is our emergent, transformational, realities of austerity and cutting relationship with citizens and unpredictable change – prevention, back right to the bone in some communities. Their role is the enabling, getting it right first places – so we need to be very most critical part of the equation time – that necessarily involve clear about what’s ‘core’ to – start by seeing all public coproduction with citizens. public service provision, and services as ‘co-created’ – the what we have to let go of. This must be a live, engaged debate with the public.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 9 The state of transformation survey

‘Seven ways to save and improve’ l Change policy or More complex, commissioning approach 17% emergent, l Shape demand 21% transformational, l Create economies of flow unpredictable, (‘right first time’) 13% codesign… l Reduce waste 12% 51%

l Optimise use of resources 49% (‘sweat the assets’) 9% More complicated, l Economies of organisation predictable, (manage better) 10% programmatic, l ‘in our own Optimise procurement 11% l control’ (Generate additional income 7%)

Against the RedQuadrant seven ways to save 25 and improve for public services, we can see a clear direction to more complex, emergent 20 change that relies on codesign / cocreation to achieve results – but a continuing need 15 to deliver the more transactional, tractable, internal opportunities.It is important to 10 note that, done badly, these later more 5 programmatic savings opportunities can restrict or cut off entirely the possibility 0 of delivering more transformational change.

Seven ways to save and improve model

10 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy What we can see clearly is that digital, codesign, programme We would like to thank our media getting better outcomes for delivery, property, smart working, partner, the Guardian Public Leaders communities and citizens demands agile or any of a million other Network – one excellent case study leaders and practitioners work things, will be disappointed. Each just recently published covers an collaboratively across organisational of these is in there, but in their unprecedented level of joint working and professional boundaries. place. Transformation recognises in Croydon to transform the lives of the value of all kinds of specialist older people: www.theguardian. To work together more effectively, expertise and methods – but knows com/public-leaders-network/2018/ the different professions that serve that, in practice, each of these is may/14/joint-working- the public must first recognise insufficient on its own. transforming-lives-older-people that they inhabit different worlds – different ways of seeing, ways of There are many disciplines These think pieces and case studies being, different power dynamics, contributing to transformation, from will often be read, first, as really different languages. Then they have community engagement to customer inspiring – exciting, motivating, to learn each other’s languages insight, project management, close to the true motivating factors and create shared understanding. procurement, process improvement for public service. And then you For example, social workers and to outcomes thinking, data analytics might think – on the other hand, why technologists must translate and digital and service design to the hell isn’t all public service done sufficiently to ensure support innovation and more. So successful like this? Whether it is engaging systems are fit for purpose. Teachers systems transformation is inherently the discretionary effort of partners and procurement professionals and inevitably multi- and inter- or frontline staff, or serious down- must understand enough of each disciplinary. Our mission is to to-earth directive leadership that other’s worlds to ensure schools are bring these tools and techniques gets stuff done (or both), it is about equipped cost-effectively. Creating together coherently and accessibly cutting the crap, doing the hard the conditions for this to happen is to develop the capability of work, and being really focused perhaps the prime task of system organisations to serve the public on outcomes. So, from complex leadership. better. partnerships to truly engaged codesign, innovation might not look What is clear, here, is that public We have grouped these think like something blindingly new. It service transformation sometimes pieces under the following might or might not use the flavour starts with door-knocking, sitting headings: of the month technology or legal down with the mums at the 1. Engaging with citizens as whole form. What is clear is that nothing adventure playground, or treating people – the difference that really changes unless the rules of ‘hard to reach’, ‘excluded’, ‘difficult’ makes a difference when you the game change. This report might ‘clients’ and ‘service users’ as can work person-to-person, not not change fundamentals – but, human beings. And it sometimes service user-state at the very least, you might pick starts with just getting on with 2. Harnessing the power of place up something about a different learning lessons, with making real and community language, a robustly pragmatic and the concepts that others only toy 3. Collaborative working yet idealist way with, with doing the hard stuff, well. of thinking. And that might be the 4. New models of commissioning This means that those – particularly most fundamental change of all. in leadership roles – who can’t and governance make the journey to the new world, 5. Transforming service delivery Benjamin Taylor are helped – respectfully and 6. Innovation, data and technology Chief Executive, Public Service with dignity – to move on. Those Inevitably, these are rough divisions Transformation Academy who have a narrow definition of and there is significant overlap & Managing Partner, RedQuadrant ‘transformation’ – that it’s ‘all about’ between all of these themes. www.publicservicetransformation.org

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 11 Engaging with citizens as whole people

Alliance makes an impact on rough sleeping in Cornwall

l Cornwall has third highest l Growing awareness that rate of rough sleepers in rough sleepers present the country multiple and varied issues l We were one of the few l Multi-agency response authorities with improved works as no single agency 01 figures at the time of the can resolve issues alone last count

There has been increasing and potentially perpetuating any What is the understanding that people who anti-social behaviour. There was require help cannot be defined simply also evidence these groups were context? by a single presenting issue. dispersed from locality to locality. Reports of street drinking, anti-social A multi-agency approach and behaviour, rough sleeping, and drug model was developed to address litter have been increasing over the these issues together. It was past two years across Cornwall. pertinent that no single service This is against a backdrop of rough What’s the story? had been successful in resolving sleeping rising nationally as well In October 2016, the Mayor of Truro this issue alone. as locally. This has been further convened a meeting in response to impacted by budget reductions in growing public concerns. The police As the majority of street drinkers alcohol and drug treatment, and reported that from May to September had been excluded from most in adult social care supported they had received an increase of local agencies, a combination of accommodation for people with 77.8 percent in vagrancy reports enforcement and help was required, complex needs. and an 80 percent rise in reports with strategic support from local Cornwall’s homeless problems involving rowdy and aggressive commissioners. Key agencies were are more acute as it has the third street drinkers. There was a general tasked to work together to review highest rate of rough sleeping in feeling among Truro traders that a and agree an action plan for the the country. Additionally, as in other decline in business was linked to eleven people posing the most shires, Cornwall has been subject such behaviours. This link, however, significant challenges. Donation to more aggressive marketing of has not subsequently been verified, points were promoted by locality, cheap heroin and crack cocaine by although eleven individuals were which encouraged the public organised drugs networks. identified as problematic in terms to donate to organisations rather In recent years, understanding has of anti-social behaviour and street than to individuals. Toilets were increased about the coexistence drinking. opened at Green Street Bus Station of homelessness, mental ill health, Community alcohol and other drug on a 24-hour pilot basis, which drugs and alcohol problems, services highlighted an increase in was well received and reduced offending, domestic abuse and vulnerable women sleeping rough, anti-social behaviour in the town’s sexual violence. Not least the which was supported by the rough public gardens. challenges this poses for providing sleeper count. Stakeholders also help to those in need and the identified numerous people who This, however, culminated in enormous demand upon resources. had been banned from multiple the rough sleepers camping The negative impact upon hospital services. They also noted that outside Truro’s NatWest bank, admissions, frequent attenders, banning individuals only worsened drawing much press and public children and families, plus crime and their situation. It limited the help attention. The group was evicted disorder are particularly evident. they could receive, increasing risk from NatWest and reappeared in

12 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Moorfield Car Park towards the end plans and the outreach workers’ of 2016. Once again, the public daily activity. This allowed the wider began experiencing anti-social What has been team to monitor the work centering Alliance makes an impact behaviour from those sleeping in on each individual. This small the car park, so a more sustainable the impact? outreach team was also supported solution was needed. The police response to the multi- by the Hospital Discharge Service on rough sleeping in Cornwall agency approach during the pilot run by homeless charity Shelter, The Mayor convened meetings was most encouraging. A senior as many participants were to discuss how best to resolve officer in Truro told the project frequently presenting at hospital. these issues and it was agreed the leaders: ‘The last three weeks Localism Team within the Cornwall have been the best ever in Truro The outreach response was Fire, Rescue and Community in the past ten years. It’s the most reinforced by police and Safety Service, within Cornwall invaluable multi-agency work that’s antisocial behaviour colleagues. Council, would lead a multi-agency ever been done with no police logs The enforcement and support response: Truro Safe was linked to around street drinking over the last interventions were coordinated the Safer Cornwall Partnership. 2.5 weeks.’ separately and delivered at different times. This ensured the A communications strategy was A member of Cornwall Council’s outreach workers’ relationships devised which included leaflet Anti-Social Behaviour Team said: with the individuals were not production and donation station ‘Prior to this coordinated multi- undermined. The outreach team collection boxes. However, this did agency approach the police and the met daily and visited the car park not resolve the issue of moving the ASB Team were struggling to deal and other locations to engage people sleeping in the car park. with the issues presented through with the individuals. The team risk When the group wished to embark enforcement. It was recognised that assessed these situations and upon an eviction, this required a the people being dealt with had encouraged people’s progress Vulnerability Impact Assessment complex needs and led chaotic towards accommodation, plus help for each individual. This was lives, and it was clear that in order and treatment options. This allowed coordinated by the Community to deal with the criminal and anti- a tailored approach towards street Safety Team and the Drug and social behaviour, it was necessary drinkers if they failed to engage Alcohol Action Team. to have input from support agencies with an initial approach or worker. in addition to the enforcement options. Although, these agencies Having Konnect Cornwall involved were in contact with each other prior meant that people without Who are the key to the project, the co-ordination accommodation or treatment and additional assertive outreach, providers were reconnected with partners? alongside weekly meetings, made these workers Where appropriate, The multi-disciplinary team was us accountable to each other.’ individuals were placed in Hospital overseen by the Community Safety There has also been positive Discharge beds, supported by officer and the Drugs And Alcohol feedback from retail, street cleaners, the Discharge officer and the Action Team officer from Cornwall and members of the public. outreach staff, both out of hours Council. The group included three and at weekends. Cornwall Housing outreach workers from St Petroc’s Limited agreed to provide drop in Society, plus representatives from sessions at St Petroc’s homeless Addaction and Konnect Cornwall, What have been service to enable people to flexibly the Cornwall Fire, Rescue and discuss their housing options. Community Safety Team, Devon the key elements Finances also became available and Cornwall Police, Cornwall of success? from the Adult Social Care Mental Health Teams of the Cornwall The targeted, multi-disciplinary Prevention Fund, which was Foundation Trust, Cornwall Housing outreach included a designated administered by Addaction. Ltd, Shelter Hospital Discharge, member of staff from St Petroc’s Individual budgets for bus fares, Cornwall Council: Adult Care, Society for single homeless people, clothing, mobile phones and food Safeguarding, Adult Commissioning plus staff from Addaction and were issued as required. This and Localism. Individuals requiring Konnect Cornwall to ensure a support really helped workers support also participated. consistent approach. The Addaction encourage the homeless to eat, worker also oversaw individual client strengthen, and become better able to participate in the pilot.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 13 to other areas of the south west. approach continues to ensure But a greater number are in detox the most vulnerable people in our programmes, and some have What has been communities receive the support successfully detoxed and moved they require. learned? into supported housing. One of the As a result of police involvement cohort’s individuals was also sent ‘The issues of street drinking, which in the scheme, the constabulary to prison. Another participant has are not always connected with has now adopted a street drinking since died, aged 27, of advanced homelessness, are now common trigger protocol. This brings in liver disease. The outcomes, nationally and will sometimes result additional officers when police logs however, for the people engaging in anti-social behaviour which can of homelessness or street drinking with service providers continue to affect residents’ quality of life, increase to ten percent or more look positive. of their total calls. The Anti-Social business and tourism trade. Our Behaviour Team has worked closely coordinated approach through Truro with the police on this and Criminal Safe and Safer Cornwall is proving Behaviour Orders have been given to be really positive and is fully to individuals as required. supported by Devon and Cornwall Who are the Police.’ key contacts? Rick Milburn, an Inspector with Marion Barton, Sarah Necke and Devon and Cornwall Police, in Truro, To date, some of the street drinkers Kim Hager, Cornwall and Isles of said: ‘It’s vital that our multi-agency involved in the project remain Scilly Drug and Alcohol Action homeless, and some have moved Team, 01726 223 400

A new approach: overhauling Lambeth’s mental health service

l Borough with twice l Responsibility for national rate of psychosis improvements centre improves services and on patient not practitioner saves resources l Co-production’s new commissioning model 02 sees 30 percent reduction in secondary referrals

one hand they are expected to make What is the financial savings while overseeing rapid large-scale local change. On What’s the story? context? the other they are also expected In Lambeth Council and the Clinical Lambeth is a London borough with to make services more accessible, Commissioning Group’s shared a population of around 320,000 personalised and focused on ambition was to prove co-production people. It has high rates of both prevention. could work on a large scale. And that Mental Health Act admissions and it could drastically improve outcomes acute hospital admissions. In 2014, Against this backdrop, Lambeth for people with mental issues, there were 200 people in high cost has seized the opportunity to regardless of the severity of their residential and inpatient placements. transform their mental health care condition. The densely populated borough has system. By creating a radical new Co-production is entirely driven twice the average rate of psychosis commissioning model – and a set of for England and poor outcomes for by professionals and a radical healthcare services that demonstrate alternative to the traditional model of people with severe and enduring co-production working at scale – mental illness. service development and delivery. It they have turned the system on its puts citizens at the heart of their own head, and, in the process, drastically Those commissioning public services care and focuses on their assets; improved outcomes for people with what they can and want to do, are in an invidious position. On the mental health problems.

14 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy not just the presenting problem. There are three key components Co-production works because to Lambeth’s new approach to people’s needs are better met What has been mental health care services delivery. when they unite with professionals, Firstly, there’s the Lambeth Living on an equal footing, to get things the impact? The impact of the service changes Well Collaborative, which involves done. Co-production happens has been profound. There’s service users, GPs, providers when citizens don’t just participate been a 32 percent reduction in and commissioners dedicated to in the process of designing and referrals to secondary care since transforming Lambeth’s mental delivering new services, but when the introduction of the living well health care system. they own it. hub. The living well network now supports 500 people each month. Secondly, there’s the Living Well In Lambeth there was a focus on Many of the users would not have Network, a community of providers, achieving three big outcomes: that previously had any support at all. support agencies, statutory all citizens, including those with There’s also been a 75 percent organisations and people who help mental health problems, should reduction in waiting times for support citizens of Lambeth to live well. have the opportunity to recover in secondary care. It’s been reduced and stay well, make their own from one month to one week. Finally, there’s the Integrated choices and achieve personal Personalised Support Alliance, which goals, and be able to participate has a contracting approach that on an equal footing in daily life. manages funds for those who need What have been personalised care and personal Making co-production the lynchpin budgets. was not just about coming up with the key elements new structures or mechanisms At the same time it was critical for involving service users. It of success? Professionals are now able to to start building a culture of co- was more fundamental than that. recognise the integral value of production and sowing the seeds Professionals needed to work in working with people with lived of change that would need to be entirely new ways – with people experience of mental health embedded and sustainable. A series who needed help, not for them – problems. The creation of a resource of workshops generated insights and build a vision for an entirely map helped identify the imbalance from both professionals and service new system of care. of funds in the current system: users. This helped create solutions little funding was going to services that would shift responsibility from In the early stages, a series of designed to help people live well the professional to the patient, storytelling and co-design sessions in their communities. The resource seeding a cultural change and held over three to six months map was brought to life by peer helping to evolve co-production helped set a bold and shared supporters who were trained as within Lambeth’s workforce. vision change. The sessions were peer researchers. Their role was well-attended by individuals from to share the rich stories that had Hannah uses the Living Well different parts of the local system previously existed only as anecdotes Network. and utilised design thinking tools of system failure and tragedy. ‘Working with the staff has enabled – such as stakeholder maps and Capturing the words of people with me to build up my confidence in personas. This was to set out and lived experience highlighted the dealing with day to day issues, and bring to life a vision for a system human element caught in the system coping when things get difficult. I that was poised for prevention failings and, in combination with the also feel better equipped to make rather than crisis care. resource map, provided a clear case confident decisions and when I am for radical change. well I enjoy every moment playing with my son.’ Mohammed works within the Who are the key Integrated Personal Support Alliance. partners? ‘The way I work with Elaine [a service Lambeth Council, the Living user] now differs in many ways to What has been Well Collaborative, Lambeth how I used to work in the community Living Well Network, the Lambeth mental health team setting. The learned? Clinical Commissioning Group, rewards are that Elaine has more In 2015, as part of the borough- NHS, Integrated Personalised independence in her life. She is wide expansion of the Living Well Support Alliance. happier than before and I, as her Hub, a new practice development social worker, feel proud for her hub for professionals was created. achievement.’ The aim was to support the co-

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 15 production of a new practice from a £66m per year. This is an intensive original budget of £12m. The Living foundation of people’s experience, partnership of commissioners and Well Network Alliance now has a set as well as building the capacity providers who will oversee how adult of priorities. This includes building an for more proactive leadership. By mental health services are delivered integrated and stronger ‘front door’ knowing of people’s experiences of over a seven to ten year contractual to mental health services, improving the Living Well Hub, professionals term. This will begin in July 2018. targeted specialist care coordination have identified ways to do things This builds on the successful for people who need more intense or differently. They’ve also learned to Integrated Personal Support Alliance, medium-term support, and improving continue the things they do well. which tested a live alliance contract rapid response support, especially Users’ Recovery Stories are captured for the 200 people placed in high out of hours. The final priority is to and shared on an ongoing basis by cost residential and rehabilitation find alternatives to bed admission. Karen Cooper, the collaborative’s placements. This began in April volunteer writer and journalist. 2015 and has resulted in significant improvements to outcomes. This In recent developments, Lambeth includes over 70 people who Who are the Council and the CCG are in the have moved to more independent process of establishing a new accommodation with community- key contacts? Living Well Network Alliance. This based care packages and support. Hannah Jameson, Head of Policy & encompasses most of the NHS and Insight, London Borough of Lambeth their social spend on adults with This initiative has so far achieved [email protected] mental health problems, around savings of 20 percent against an 0207 926 6918

Helping the ‘hard to reach’: ‘it’s all about empathy’

l We happen to have all our l Survey shows 94 percent stars aligned’: the Pause of Pause participants success story in Derby experience mental health issues l Treating women as people and not problems has broken a glass ceiling 03 in outcomes

The Derby community interest from a young age, and come What is the company launched its Pause practice from similar backgrounds to the in April 2017, having spent five years ones they have now. Of the 23 context? assisting young first-time parents women, 96 percent have suffered Women who’ve had several children in Derby through the Family Nurse serious domestic abuse and 75 taken into care need special support. Partnership. percent have suffered physical So do first time teenage parents. The Pause programme gives women and sexual childhood abuse. Many at risk of having children taken into had parents who’d been in prison. Ripplez is a social enterprise care the chance to pause and take Unsurprisingly, 94 percent of the helping the hard to reach who often control of their lives. This is in hope women involved with Pause have feel let down by statutory services of breaking a destructive cycle that mental health issues. such as children’s social care, causes them and their children deep the police, GPs and the courts. trauma, as well as putting a huge Ripplez’ unique service works burden on the taxpayer. to an innovative model of evidence based interventions, while its What’s the story? The majority of the 23 women enlisted Most of the young women that success, in part, is attributable have had difficult starts in life. Most Pause support have experienced, to its non-bureaucratic nature. have suffered severe abuse, often or continue to suffer, physical,

16 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy emotional and sexual abuse. By ‘Most women weren’t registered the time they are referred to Pause with their GPs,’ she adds. ‘They’d many have had two or more children What has been been kicked off the GPs’ lists taken into care, most use drugs through missed appointments and and alcohol, and many exist in the impact? other situations. Services weren’t In terms of the human cost, Pause precarious lodgings with violent accessible to them.’ has been able to work with, and partners. build positive and engaging Another impactful element is relationships with, women, who One woman in their initial cohort – Pause’s work on the relationship they’d been told, would not work Ms S – had two premature babies with their children. ‘We work on or engage with them. These women removed into care when they were that with them to make contact as were known to every service and born. Both were delivered with meaningful as possible,’ adds Jess, had been lost and given up on. significant health issues and drug ‘for the women and their children.’ Pause has managed to get 23 addiction. The mother returned to women signed up who had had a home where drugs and domestic In the current climate of local a collective 69 children taken into violence were rife. By the time she authority hardship, the service will care. Of those women, 18 are was referred to Pause she was also save enormous resources by now on a long term reversible pregnant again and in prison. preventing children from entering contraceptive. the care system, plus further On her release, Ripplez’ Birth Buddy associated cost avoidance. It’s also worked in getting other programme gave her pregnancy services to understand the mental, support, accompanied her to her emotional and physical damage antenatal appointments and spoke done to these women. Other about the benefits of healthy lifestyle services are now paying attention to What have been choices for her and her baby. Ripplez’ success. Ripplez worked productively with the key elements children’s social care and maternity ‘It’s just about them understanding services, and although the plan of success? the massive trauma they’ve been While their partnership with other was to remove the baby at birth, through, to work with them more service providers has been a Ms S maintained support with her flexibly and adaptively, and they’ve massive element of Pause’s worker. She agreed to be part of a taken that on board, and we feel success in Derby, it’s the breadth care plan, and to breastfeed and like we’re able to influence other of skill and experience within the give skin to skin contact with her services,’ said Justine Gibling, Pause team which has made the baby following birth. Ms S went Ripplez’ CEO. difference. Drawing from supportive full term and will be with the Pause backgrounds in drugs and alcohol, programme for the next 18 months. ‘Our women, they didn’t have a sex work, psychiatric nursing and Ms S will agree to choose the best good enough start in life and then social housing, it’s the collective reversible form of contraceptive. it becomes this cycle,’ adds Jess skillset, under one roof, and away She will also receive further support Jackson, the Practice Lead. ‘Their from statutory services, that has to make informed and positive life parents might have had children made the difference. choices. removed and that cycle just continues. Instead of saying ‘you ‘The way the team was recruited This participant’s story is reflective need to change’, I say ‘no wonder was unlike anything I’d been part of the intense work being done you’ve got to the point you’ve got to.’’ of before,’ said Justine, who’s within the Pause partnership. worked in children services for 30 With their first cohort, there’s been years. The team has the right kind a large drop in damaging behaviour. of characters, abilities and qualities ‘That’s by having them gain some and a highly qualified practise lead Who are the self-worth,’ adds Jess. to steer the project. key partners? It’s been measured in the reduction Ripplez CIC, DfE Children’s Social of drug and alcohol use, less ‘When you look at all of those factors Care Innovation Programme, the NHS, recalls to prison, stability in their we appear to have all our stars Derby City Council, Pause National. accommodation, and other factors. aligned,’ added Justine.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 17 user, describing interaction with her Pause support worker. ‘She What has been makes me feel normal,’ that was Who are the what she said. It’s all down to seeing learned? these women as women and not a key contacts? In 2015, as part of the borough- problem. I feel that quite powerfully.’ Justine Gibling, Chief Executive, When you treat people as people Ripplez CIC and not as problems they’re more Finally, it was learned that if receptive to change. If you can Jess Jackson, Practice Lead, contraceptives are accessible, most empathise with their situation, and Pause Project Derby women will use them. Often, it will not judge them for it, relationships be the first time the Pause women Both via 01332 888 091 can be formed. have had the chance to experience autonomy and control over their own ‘There was one thing that stuck with sexual health. me,’ adds Jess, ‘it was a service .

‘Health is no longer about the absence of disease’

l ‘We had a growing l Altogether Better’s realisation that general evidence-based approach practice was unsustainable’ sees the pressure ease on burdened practices l A future NHS will rely on a collaborative relationship between GPs, practice staff 04 and local people.

people who may simply be lonely What is the or isolated. Practices struggle to What’s the story? find ways of helping those who context? To create this change, Altogether come regularly to see their GP, but Lambeth is a London borough with Better has developed an evidence- for whom there is little the practice NHS England’s Five Year Forward based approach that delivers NHS can currently offer that will make a View set out how health services England’s vision and provides an difference. For ‘things that don’t go needs to evolve and adapt in order offer that reduces the pressure away,’ people need time and support to lessen the growing pressure on in General Practice. Altogether to come to terms with their diagnosis general practice and the wider health Better’s model, Collaborative and adapt to the challenges they system. This report, along with the Practice, has been developed in are facing. The behaviour change GP Forward View that followed, over 120 GP practices in 23 Clinical necessary to build resilience and has highlighted how the work that Commissioning Group areas, cope is so much easier to do if peer Altogether Better does, developing involving more than 1,500 citizens supported. collaborative relationships between who have gifted their time as health GPs, practice staff, health champions champions. Many people working in general and the wider public, helps create practice know these things are a sustainable future, one in which Collaborative Practice is a new important and valuable but are too practices draw on the skills and approach. It is well known that busy with current workload to be able resourcefulness of their communities general practice faces the huge to offer the non-clinical support that in order to make life better for challenge of supporting people people need. Collaborative Practice everyone. with long term conditions and invites local people to gift their time to the practice, working alongside

18 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy people who deliver health services to the changing context in primary cope and live well with long term in a new, collaborative relationship. care by reshaping the relationship conditions, as well as a gaining a As a result, the practice and how it between the practice and the better understanding of how to use works changes. community. and navigate services. The starting point is finding practice The evidence tells us that when New services, activities, support managers and GPs interested in it works for patients there are and possibilities open up, based developing their leadership skills significant improvements in mental on what matters to the practice and capacity in order to enable health and wellbeing. This results and what is important to local the practice to meet the new in the overwhelming support from people. People’s needs are met challenges. This aspect of the work practice staff to sustain the work. differently, taking pressure off the is led by a system’s specialist who The results indicate that 94 percent practice and making life better for brings experience of working at of patients surveyed had improved everyone. Collaborative Practice is The King’s Fund and with health mental health and wellbeing, while about responding to the underlying systems around the world as well 95 percent of staff recommended reasons why people present at the as many years’ experience running the work and wanted to continue surgery; simply increasing the ability leadership programmes in the NHS, after the funded period ended. or capacity to respond to clinical including the first Practice Managers Recent feedback from a GP demand will only act to increase the programme. problem. managing partner describes how The team works alongside emerging ‘there’s been a paradigm shift, a Collaborative Practice is about primary care leaders and citizens move to a wellness mindset not an changing the nature of the response who gift their time as health illness mindset…it’s one of the most and reducing the demand on clinical champions, guiding and modelling rewarding things we’ve ever done.’ time by offering something different the mindset and values needed that better meets people’s needs. to build a new way of working that This new way of working responds improves the working lives of staff, not just to the demand, but to the while increasing the profitability and What have been generator of that demand. It taps into sustainability of practices. the resources and resourcefulness the key elements of the local community and changes of success? the identity and culture of the Having champions as part of the practice because it changes what Who are the key practice family changes the nature the practice pays attention to. of the family, leading both to

partners? coevolve and do things differently. In a way, this approach is simple, but GPs, practice managers and the This in turn leads to benefits for it’s also hugely complex because this wider practice team patients, champions and the is about fundamental culture change. practice – and from it emerges It changes the culture of the practice Citizens – both from the practice a new and efficient collaborative by changing the identity of who is and the wider community model of general practice. part of the practice family, which in NHS & the wider health system turn changes the business model of Eventually, new relationships the practice. between champions and practices become embedded and sustainable Collaborative Practice will improve: What has been in the long term without ongoing l patient care funding or support from Altogether l working lives of staff the impact? Better. l profitability and sustainability Having evaluated work in 30 of the Practice General Practices, drawing on Mev Forbes is a managing partner research from the Government’s at the Robin Lane Health and Foresight Project and the New Wellbeing Centre in Pudsey, Economics Foundation, it shows Yorkshire. What happens? that 216 types of new offers and activities were developed by ‘We had a growing realisation that Collaborative Practice spans practices and the citizens who general practice was unsustainable leadership development, volunteered their time to work in its current format,’ he said. ‘We organisational development alongside them. This brought about knew that funding was going to and systems’ development. It is improvements in patients’ wellbeing, be an issue. We can’t just go on designed to help the practice adapt resilience and ability to adapt,

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 19 employing more and more doctors part of the system, the work takes If findings from this evaluation to meet more and more demands, place in liminal space – at the were to be replicated across the we had to think quite radically boundary between the formal world country, we would see a future about how to change demand in the of organisations and the informal where patient care improves, first place.’ life world of citizens. Working in this the working lives of staff improve, space requires a different way of and profitability and sustainability Robin Lane now works with more seeing: a new set of skills, norms, of GP practices improve. Practices than 50 enthusiastic citizens who behaviours and language. will be better able to cope with deliver more than 30 different the dwindling number of UK GPs kinds of groups and activities. As The York Health Economics and the decreasing numbers well as a series of champion-led Consortium has demonstrated of GP trainees. social groups, the practice now there is up to a £112 return per £1 runs a ukulele group, provides investment in this scheme. Further, Prevention will also become the daily breastfeeding support, keeps given that this work promises a norm and an integrated part of a constantly updated dynamic sustainable business model, where the system. This will reduce the directory of local services and clinicians have enough time for their future prevalence and incidence resources, and is now more able clinical consultations and patients of socially determined disease, to signpost and route people to make better use of services, making creating an environment where activities in the community. the case for General Practice is people are supported to prevent, relatively easy. manage and live well with long Champions also support service term conditions, while improving delivery. They’ve helped increase This is particularly so when it is their mental, social and physical the numbers of people attending financially supported by local health and wellbeing. the centre’s Saturday flu clinic commissioners or funders, such as from 300 to more than 900 people. CCGs and local authorities. In the Citizens who work as part of an short term, practices can see the extended practice team and are The success of the work is largely resourcefulness that champions no longer seen as burden to down to the leadership and vision bring by increasing the range services, but as an asset, working of Mev and GP partner Linda of offers or options available to as part of the system as makers Belderson, who described how patients. and shapers of innovative new ‘lives have been transformed, services. Patients will learn to use people are no longer isolated; Over a longer period of time there is services differently and the pattern they have made new friendships evidence of a significant reduction of service use will change. and use services differently.’ in primary and secondary care consultations. Feedback from lead partner Jaweeda Idoo of Alvanley Family Practice in Stockport is Who are the that Collborative Practice has What has been ‘definitely reduced the number of key contacts? learned? A&E attendances for patients and Alyson McGregor, national reduced the demand for urgent director of Altogether Better, Health is no longer about the appointments whilst at the same [email protected] absence of disease. Today, the time leading to better engagement challenge is to create a system www.altogetherbetter.org.uk @ in nurse appointments… this is a al2gtherbetter in which people can adapt and real offer that will actually not just change. When citizens become reduce demand for you, but make patients’ lives better.’

20 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Giving victims a voice: Stevenage Against Domestic Abuse

l Domestic abuse from l Survivors at heart the victims’ perspective of decision making l Co-operative working l New approach led to address medium to creation of safe and low risk cases space for abuse 05 survivors domestic violence advisors, mental What is the health teams and health visitors, What’s the story? the Women’s Resource Centre, the context? Gaps in the service were identified police’s domestic abuse team DAISU, In 2015, we recognised that our by SADA and, in July 2017, this led to and local police officers. domestic abuse service was the opening of a Safe Space: a place disjointed. People who had been for people who have suffered or were The forum and partnership working attacked and had fled their homes suffering from abuse, giving them the are part of a unique service with were left to make potentially life option to stay for up to a week. The its own governance, including a changing decisions about their Safe Space is unique in that, unlike SADA board which makes strategic future, sometimes while sitting in a a refuge, it is available immediately decisions, led by myself, the Leader police station or the council offices. as a short-term breathing space. A of Stevenage Borough Council, Cllr Others in abusive relationships place where victims and their families Sharon Taylor. The forum chair also classed as low risk received little can stay for free while they make sits on the board. There is also a support, despite the danger that what can be major decisions on their working group, which deals with violence could escalate. We know future. operational matters, and a multi- that too few victims come forward, agency panel to discuss low and and many more suffer in silence. The SADA forum members also medium risk cases and ensure all the It was clear something needed to started informal drop-in sessions support comes together. They work change. for victims, survivors and their alongside the forum to ensure victims’ families. Here they can talk about voices are at the forefront throughout. We discussed our concerns with their experiences with those who partners in the police and county have been in the same situation. Protecting men and women who have council, and began to develop a It operates on referral only and is suffered abuse in their own homes is more strategic and co-ordinated a mobile service, held at various a priority. The changes we’ve made approach. A key element was our locations in the community. with partners have created a holistic decision to bring in the experts service. It offers early support to help to advise us – those who had Of course, it is important not to prevent problems escalating, and experienced domestic violence oversimplify the process. All the gives the abused the support they themselves. We contacted people forum members’ ideas are discussed need to make informed decisions. who had come to us for help, and at length to help ensure they will worked cooperatively with them to achieve their anticipated aims, then That early help includes one-to- understand their needs, and how we modified or further developed. Other one support for perceived low risk could improve support for survivors ideas come from our partners or staff. cases. Most don’t want to enter a and their families. We’re always looking to innovate and refuge, but need help to stay with refine what we do. supportive friends and family. Even if These were not easy conversations they decide to stay with an abusive to have: some people just wanted Alongside the victim-centred partner, we can plan for their safety to move on, while others chose to approach, we have strengthened if things get worse and help them to return to abusive partners. But some our partnership working. The recognise signs of escalation. We do of those affected by domestic abuse police oversee criminal incidents not tell people they must leave their decided to work with us, and with their and Hertfordshire County Council relationship, but we will give advice support we created the Stevenage provides Children’s Services support, and skills to help them feel safer. Against Domestic Abuse (SADA) while charities such as Citizens forum. It first met in 2016, and put Advice are another vital source of The police are strongly committed those affected by domestic abuse at help. We also work with independent to SADA and appreciate the the heart of decision making.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 21 focus on prevention. David Lloyd, County Council, Families First. family members experiencing Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime We have secured funding from or witnessing domestic abuse, Commissioner, said: ‘Domestic outside sources including the including children. We facilitate abuse is an abhorrent crime and Department for Communities and a course which allows parents to tackling it is one of my top priorities. Local Government, Hertfordshire understand the impact of abuse More money has been invested, County Council and the Police and on their children and how they can creating a single point of contact for Crime Commissioner. Our ongoing rebuild their relationships. victims and providing high quality challenge is to ensure the service support for people who’ve been is sustainable by working with We also run an in-house service subjected to abuse. I welcome the other commissioners and funders, which seeks to address the needs SADA initiative as it is imperative and evolving other services to of perpetrators, through a drug, that all agencies work together in a better meet the needs of local alcohol and offending service to coordinated way to offer timely and communities. We believe this help them understand and change appropriate support.’ approach provides better support their behaviour. Almost a quarter and saves money in the long term. of incidents reported to the police We have trained teams at are alcohol or drug related, so neighbouring local authorities and addressing those problems is an partner agencies including North important element of the service we Hertfordshire District Council, East What has been offer. Creating the Safe Space crash Hertfordshire District Council and pad has offered immediate help to Mind in Mid Herts. We also plan the impact? victims. While service users are now to give talks in schools on healthy Domestic violence victims now able to apply for court orders free relationships, a key way of stopping have a say in the support they of charge and are accompanied problem behaviour developing. receive and this has led to a to court. The SADA forum has had 100% increase in the number of a massively positive impact on We know people will not always feel referrals to the service. There’s also the lives of those that have been able to report attacks, so we have been less escalation to (MARAC) victims, their families and children. also trained council frontline staff to Multiple Agency Risk Assessment identify signs of domestic abuse. Meeting. To know people are safe Our council’s Repairs team flag up and feel safer is the outcome we when they see repeated reports of would like to see, though it is hard What has been damage, which could be indicative of to measure. In a recent survey of domestic abuse, and a joint visit with the people we have helped, 56% learned? Tenancy Services may be completed said our service had fully improved That you have to encourage the to offer support. SADA has set up a their safety; 11% mostly; 22% reporting of domestic abuse, and Champions network which includes partly; and 11% not at all. Overall that working cooperatively with council employees and partners satisfaction with the service was partners and those who have been such as Families First and MIND. The high; and 100% of people said they through the service is essential to network of Champions give advice felt fully understood and listened to. supporting with victims of domestic and guidance to other champions, Long term, we are continuing the abuse and their families. Further, and meet on a quarterly basis to relationship with survivors through that you have to understand that share best practices, discuss cases the SADA forum. not everyone wants to leave an and exchange ideas. We have also abusive relationship, but they still introduced a traveller project, which need support from the service. encourages families to engage with Finally, that we have to encourage the forum, who can help with advice What have been perpetrators to seek help. and safety planning. the key elements of success? Having champions as part of the Who are the Who are the The SADA service encourages and empowers victims and survivors to key contacts? key partners? Sarah Pateman, Community Safety Stevenage Against Domestic make decisions that are right for them. This could include applying Manager, Stevenage Borough Abuse (SADA), the community, Council, 01438 242458. the County Court, the housing for their own court orders against department at Stevenage perpetrators. We offer support Case study completed by Councillor Borough Council, Hertfordshire to everyone including men and Sharon Taylor, Leader of Stevenage Constabulary, Hertfordshire LGBTQ communities, and for Borough Council

22 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Fostering success: Birmingham’s Step Down project

l Costly residential care less l Four stage Step Down effective than family setting programme saves 10,000 for foster children ‘bed nights’ – and £2.9m l Taking time to match young people with foster carers reaps 06 benefits

placements. A key component of as foster care recruitment, training What is the the Step Down approach involves and retainer fees. They also pay establishing this across a twelve for training and support for the context? week transition process. One of peer mentors who assist the young Birmingham’s Step Down fostering its aims is to lessen the impact of people. The social investor is also project helps young people move change, which is often a source of able to provide critical challenge from residential care to a family stress for the child. This will include and oversight of the performance setting. The more calming nature of careful matching with the right foster management with a view to securing a family home has been shown to carer, plus a phased introduction long term outcomes. improve the chances of stability for and settlement period. the young person and a successful outcome. The project also utilises the Step Down also uses a systemic Therapeutic Fostering intervention approach to ensure all those Who are the key and team teaching. connected with the child – foster carer, social worker, residential unit partners? The scheme is run by the newly support worker, education officers, The project is a partnership between formed Birmingham Children’s Trust. health care and other professionals the Birmingham Children’s Trust, The trust is independent, but owned – are coordinated to deliver the best Birmingham City Council, Core by Birmingham City Council, the outcomes. Assets the provider, and the social largest local authority in Europe, with investor Bridges Ventures. 1.2 million citizens, and almost 2,000 Each young person is also given children in care. an experienced mentor to provide advice, support and advocacy on In 2012, there were 182 young their behalf. The peer mentor acts What has been people in residential placements, as a good role model and someone roughly 10 percent of all children in with who the young person can the impact? care in Birmingham. These young share their views and concerns. To date, 26 young people have people were experiencing poor Further, a project manager will moved from a residential setting to outcomes. They had repeated provide an overview of the project the family-based Step Down system contact with the police, substance and consistency, connecting with in Birmingham. The scheme to date misuse, poor educational attainment social work teams as well as foster has generated £2.9m in savings. and poor mental health. Of that carers. Foster children also appear to have cohort, 13 percent had experienced benefitted: there are improved three or more placements. The project is realised and funded outcomes in behaviour, school Significantly, those 182 young through a Social Impact Bond and attendance, engagement in positive people accounted for 40 percent of a Payment by Results mechanism. activities, reduced self-harming and the council’s annual £65m Children The key trigger for successful a reduction in aggressive behaviour. in Care budget. payment by results outcomes is Of the original 26 young people, 12 placement stability, relying on the completed the 52 week placement, foster child to be with the same with five remaining with the foster foster carer for 52 weeks. carer post graduation. During What’s the story? this period more than 10,000 In times of crisis, many children The social investor contributes to `beds nights’ were avoided. in care will be moved from their Step Down’s set up costs, such

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 23 educational support. Progress key and the early involvement of meetings become monthly. In the operational leads in the project What have been final stage – maintenance – which design and commissioning was spans 26 weeks, the child should also crucial. the key elements be making significant educational improvements. There should also be of success? signs of emotional and behavioural Adhering to the four crucial stages progress. The support continues in the Step Down programme. The Who are the with monthly progress meetings. first stage is matching and planning Ongoing needs, and the placement and takes up to six weeks. The key contacts? itself, are reviewed at a later time. Narinder Saggu, Head of Children’s right foster carer is identified and a Commissioning, Birmingham network of professionals established Children’s Trust around the young person. The Narinder.saggu@ second stage is stabilisation and birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk takes 13 weeks. This involves What has been intensive wrap around support to learned? Louise Knowles, Senior enable a smooth transition. Here, Fostering can work for children with Commissioning Officer, Birmingham the foster carer is at the centre complex issues, but only if policies Children’s Trust of the process and they attend are child-centred and designed Louise.k.knowles@ fortnightly progress meetings. to meet their needs. Targeted birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk carer recruitment is absolutely Sunita Masih, Commissioning The settlement stage, or the third critical. New foster carers can Officer, Birmingham Children’s Trust stage, also lasts 13 weeks and be as talented and committed as sunita.masih@ foster carers receive systemic professional carers. Engagement birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk therapy, plus practical and with social workers is absolutely

From service user to citizen: meet The Pod

l Strength in numbers: l From 106 to 15,000: Uniting the community wins How a stranded centre big mental health gains became a social movement l Metamorphosis of mental health outcomes begins 07 with personalisation

Before it was The Pod, it was Lamb via the Community Mental Health What is the Street Day Centre, and housed Team. Within the centre there was people with identical mental health a sense that ‘moving on’ was not context? issues. In 2009, it offered its users possible or even a good idea. The The Pod supports adults with severe therapeutic support groups, centre primarily focused on keeping or enduring mental illness on a gardening sessions and basic people safe. referral basis. The centre – a vibrant English and maths courses. place with a cafe, activities and evening events – is run by Coventry Unsurprisingly, only its staff and City Council and works on social What’s the story? users visited the centre – there brokerage, where skilled people As of 2017, Lamb Street underwent wasn’t anything there for anyone assist The Pod’s denizens to lead a transformation. While the building else. Back then, 106 people regularly full and independent lives. looked the same externally, inside it attended the centre. Half had been had changed. The focus had shifted referred more than a decade earlier, to the person and their individual

24 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy mental health recovery. Lamb Street trust, relationships and to identify morphed into The Pod, a venue with interests and opportunities to a cafe and community-wide appeal. What has been support a person’s recovery. Newly introduced development workers The centre has since received the impact? were also encouraged to investigate The Pod shows how a statutory many plaudits for the overhaul of its other funding streams to support provider can be cost effective while practices. It now sees 200 referrals people’s ambitions. For example, still offering a person-centred model a year. These are for people with they investigated regeneration for people with severe mental health the most complex and critical programmes, universal services, illnesses. Its creative and dynamic mental health needs. The work self-directed support from the use of all the resources – people starts with a meeting at the Pod council, such as personal budgets and places – benefits the whole and then continues in a place of the and direct payments, and looked at community. individual’s choice. It could be in grant making trusts. The Pod uses the centre’s well respected vegan The fact it is a public facing the joint principles of personalisation café, or anywhere in the community. service with a large footfall is and recovery to underpin its The focus is on the person and their important as it provides the approach. individual mental health recovery. impetus for collaboration, co- Service users are now seen and production, connectivity and These values speak clearly to treated as citizens. partnership – which, by default, statutory commissioning and dispels myths about mental health. provider organisations and, most The Pod is accessible to all. It cooks There is extensive qualitative and importantly, emphasise the right of fresh meals for the same price as a quantitative evidence on outcomes the individual to expect that support. supermarket meal deal. But instead achieved through this way of of a cellophane sandwich and a can working. The clear evidence shows of sugary drink, you get a wholesome there is less service dependency and mostly organic vegan meal. for people and a reduced number What has been Indicative of its value and quality, of readmissions into acute mental the restaurant currently sits at 41 of health services, plus a reliance on learned? 503 restaurants in Coventry on Trip outpatient appointments or other Christine Eade, Coventry City Advisor. The Pod has since moved to supportive health services. Council’s Mental Health Unit historic premises at 31 Far Gosford Manager, believes that if you want Street in the city’s cultural quarter. to get things done, ‘it helps not to be frightened of disagreement Around 15,000 people now engage What have been – and to be prepared for difficult with the Pod in some way each year. conversations. Also, push and Among them: Food Union, Time the key elements provoke, ask the difficult question Union, plus an arts collaborative, a of success? – and then keep asking it. Enable strand promoting quiet activism and There were many elements that citizens’ rights and look for the an annual mental health arts festival. came together in making The Pod mutual gain. Be brave with your All act as catalysts for connections a success. Firstly, there was the decisions and then test and and social change. It is an approach development of a model of practice build upon them. Finally, try to be that benefits the whole city. The Pod that re-inspired the Lamb Street pragmatic.’ has even been involved in Coventry’s team’s passion for mental health ‘I strongly believe that in order to bid to be City of Culture 2021 work and also enhanced their facilitate mental health recovery existing skills. A varied training and regeneration it’s important to programme to fill any gaps identified cultivate new relationships and within the team, and for referring approaches. You need to forge Who are the key practitioners, was also created. connections with the non-traditional, and inspire social change through partners? By January 2012, a social brokerage adaptive and empowered practice The Pod, Coventry City Council, qualification was jointly developed and an open mind. We have to be Clinical Commissioning Group, and delivered with Coventry impassioned and genuine in the the NHS. University. Foundation planning work we do.’ was also introduced, based on a series of hour long individual The team recently piloted Needs conversations. These took place and Wellbeing assessments for over six to twelve weeks to build people with severe mental health

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 25 needs who receive secondary Christine Eade, Mental Health Unit mental health services. There is Manager, Coventry City Council. the same focus on making time for Who are the [email protected] people, listening and building trust. 02476 786 680 The outcomes help ensure that the key contacts? care and support provided by the Caroline Speirs, TLAP, Head & This case study was provided NHS and the council continue to Building Community Capacity Policy through our colleagues in Think be personalised, recovery-focused Advisor. [email protected] Personal Act Personal – see and compliant with the Care Act. 020 7766 7358 separate listing to access more of their excellent case studies and join their exciting network.

Think Local Act Personal

Think Local Act Personal We make an impact by: How can TLAP help you? (TLAP) is a partnership of over l A wide range of tools 50 organisations committed to l Working through partners and resources are on personalisation and community- and networks to deliver front our website to inform based health, care and support. line operational support and inspire TLAP’s unique position as a sector l Mobilising leaders and l wide partnership brings together decision makers to We run events designed central and local government, contribute at strategic level to educate and motivate people with lived experience, to system change l Our networks on building commissioners, providers and community capacity, market social enterprises to ensure l Showcasing examples development and self- rhethoric of policy and ligislation that deliver transformational directed support share is grounded in the rality of practice. outcomes learning and innovation. l Working with partners Our cornerstone is that to ensure social care has personalisation is fundamentally reach and influence in about better lives, not services. health sector. This means working across service boundaries to support the achievement of better outcomes and improvements in experience Please sign up to our e-newsletters at and wellbeing for people, carers www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk and keep up to date and their families. All our work is with the best in asset based approaches and community co-produced with the National development in health and social care. Co-production Advisory Group Follow us on Twitter @tlap1 (NCAG), ensuring that people with lived experience are central to informing and influencing policy development and practical implementation.

26 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy The art of the matter: creativity as medicine

l Creativity fuels l Charity connects with improvements in mental 50 community groups health in south west to bolster NHS provision Yorkshire l NHS Trust adds painting and poetry to its remit 08 for supporting patients

Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s What is the services, the charity is changing context? experience and outcomes through What has been The use of creative activities has arts, sports and recreation. It’s been the impact? been shown to increase self-esteem, able to redefine what effective, When people find talents, skills and provide a sense of purpose, develop inexpensive, non-pharmacological passion for a particular activity the social skills, help community and locally configured mental health impact can be life-changing. This integration and improve people’s services actually mean. It also sentiment has been echoed by the quality of life. encourages people with care and majority of Creative Minds’ users. support needs and practitioners to People have talked about improved So, it makes complete sense to use it unite for mutual benefit. They also confidence, self-esteem and stronger in healthcare. provide an opportunity for people to emotional resilience. Further, that the engage as equals, creating balance activities have provided a welcome At the Creative Mind charity they between providers and participants. distraction from problems. As well use it to develop community as the motivation to get out of the partnerships, while also co-funding Creative Minds is hosted by house to meet people with mutual and co-delivering projects for the their local NHS trust and acts interests. The participants also population of south west Yorkshire. as enhancement to regular NHS believe the project helps combat the provision. stigma of certain health conditions The charity believes in creativity as a by presenting new skills and talents means of self-expression. It can help Meanwhile, the trust’s aim is to through performance, exhibitions tackle social exclusion, promote self- create a strong infrastructure of or paintings with personal subject acceptance and raise aspirations by community organisations able to matters. allowing the individual to discover provide excellent creative projects From starting out in the creative abilities that combat negative for the people who access its realm, the service now has evolved feelings surrounding their mental services. To do this, the trust has set a broader remit. It now introduces health. The sense of achievement up two distinct initiatives: Creative people to music, dance and that can be found in creativity is Minds Projects and Creative Minds poetry as well as football, walking, unrivalled. Partners. gardening and climbing. Through Creative Minds’ projects people have transformed their lives. They’ve Who are the key redefined themselves as actors, What’s the story? poets, playwrights, photographers, Since its launch in November 2011, partners? musicians, singers, climbers, Creative Minds has helped over Creative Minds, South West successful artists and trophy 20,000 people by delivering over Yorkshire Partnership NHS winning footballers. This incredible 200 projects in partnership with over Foundation Trust, and around transformation has led to local, 130 community organisations. By 130charities, organisations and regional and national recognition reconfiguring South West Yorkshire youth groups, across Barnsley, and has massively challenged the Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield. stigma of mental health.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 27 the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to increase What have been What has been consistency. They have also just the key elements learned? started to use participatory research techniques to empower people to There needs to be some of success? use their new skills to capture their recognition that statutory and transformative journeys. The charity feels lucky to have had community languages are very senior management support from different – and that translation is the NHS Trust, who acted as host. sometimes required to help the two The trust gave the organisation communicate more effectively. the freedom and spirit to develop Who are the a separate, but complementary The charity also found that most key contacts? approach to the trust’s traditional service users weren’t hard to , Strategic Lead, services. It was also given support encourage into activity. It was just Phil Walters Creative Minds. to develop a culture that valued a question of listening, providing creativity and creative approaches choice and letting the participant [email protected] within the NHS. The charity was choose for themselves. [email protected] able to build a bridge that enabled 01924 316 285 @Creat1ve_M1nds community organisations to work in All projects developed through www.facebook.com/Creat1ve.M1nds partnership with the trust. It was also Creative Minds use a variety www.creativeminds.org.uk of accredited evaluation tools. able to offer solutions to some of the Caroline Speirs, Head of TLAP, problems faced by people using These demonstrate the value to Making it Real and Building NHS services. the individual and the benefits of Community Capacity Policy Advisor. wellbeing. There are individual [email protected] case studies that capture recovery 0207 766 7358 journeys and the transformative effect of developing a new skill This case study was provided through our colleagues in Think Personal Act Personal – or passion. Latterly, the charity see separate listing to access more of has encouraged projects to use their excellent case studies and join their exciting network.

Staying up late: opening up nightlife to people with learning disabilities l Brighton project extending l Most people with learning across UK and Australia disabilities aren’t supported to live the lifestyle they choose l Gig Buddies matches adults 09 who have a learning disability with a volunteer who shares a similar passion

as autism, have limited choices once Research was also commissioned by What is the the evening has landed. It was with the charity through the Community this in mind that Gig Buddies was and University Partnership context? launched in 2012 by the Stay Up How often do you see people with Programme at the University of Late charity in Brighton. It was set Brighton. This was to discover the learning disabilities when you go out up by former punk musician Paul in the evening? The most common obstacles faced by people with Richards who recognised most learning disabilities who wanted response to this question is: rarely people with learning disabilities are or never. Sadly, people with learning an existence that extended past unable to go out late due to inflexible daytime television. disabilities, or with conditions such rotas of care.

28 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy The research flagged up several project such as Gig Buddies. Further, factors when it came to people’s that too much expectation from a isolation and lack of cultural What has been local authority can be problematic: involvement. Sometimes it was the impact? Gig Buddies will not solve all the because there weren’t enough social issues facing people with Gig Buddies started in Sussex in funded hours to support people learning disabilities. It is not a free 2012. There are now more than 90 with learning disabilities to enjoy solution for an endemic problem. pairs of buddies regularly attending social activities, or because support Also, it takes time to match people mainstream events across the staff didn’t work on weekends or with volunteers, especially in rural county. There are also informal evenings. Also, some people with areas. learning difficulties suffered from low social meetings in pubs for people motivation and confidence, or mental on the Gig Buddies’ waiting list. Gig Across the board there have been health issues, and were fearful about Buddies has also become a social concerns about safeguarding. There their safety should they go out. franchise with partners in Sydney; are some unfounded ideas that Other times it was because ‘what’s Australia, Edinburgh, Croydon, mainstream gigs and festivals are on’ information was hard to access Portsmouth, Calderdale, Long Eaton inherently dangerous places. This is locally, or events were hard to attend and Norwich. not the case. through lack of public transport. Or, The impact on an emotional level Back in 2001 and again in 2009, the even, that people hadn’t got any means that people who have a UK government said ‘the objective money. Finally – and crucially – it was gig buddy are now less lonely and is to enable people with learning because the person didn’t have a have more friends. They have been disabilities to have as much choice companion to share their activity. empowered to make more choices and control as possible over their about how they live their lives. As a lives and the services and support result, communities become more they receive... A person-centred inclusive and volunteers have a approach will be essential to deliver What’s the story? greater understanding of the needs real change in the lives of people Gig Buddies is a volunteer of their new companions. with learning disabilities’. befriending project. It unites those with learning disabilities, or autism, Stay Up Late believes that with a volunteer who shares the same government is a long way off from musical and cultural interests. It’s all What have been delivering this vision, and that’s what about defining what their gig is – it continues to drive the charity’s work could be music, ballet, nature walks, the key elements – to ensure that people with learning museums and the list goes on. It’s of success? disabilities are able to make choices whatever appeals to the individual. The project works effectively when on how they lead their lives. For the volunteer, it’s about going to a progressive local organisation an event they already like the sound takes on the role of delivery and of – and then bringing someone the council gives financial support. along. And sometimes practical support Who are the too, such as advertising the project All volunteers to the Gig Buddies within its social work teams. As key contacts? scheme are vetted and receive councils have increasingly less Paul Richards, Director, Stay Up training and ongoing support. resources, this project encourages Late, Dorset Gardens Methodist positive mental health and wellbeing Church Brighton [email protected] of people with learning disabilities. 01273 600 438. Matched funding from local Caroline Speirs, Head, Think Local Who are the key authorities has really helped in Act Personal Caroline.Speirs@tlap. developing new partner projects. org.uk 020 7766 7358 partners? This case study was provided The Stay Up Late charity, Brighton through our colleagues in Think and Hove City Council, West Sussex Personal Act Personal – see separate County Council, Nesta Foundation, listing to access more of their Big Lottery Mencap, Sussex What has been excellent case studies and join their Community Foundation, Brighton learned? exciting network. and Hove Buses, The Chalk Cliff Skilled co-ordinators are essential Trust and others. in running a volunteer befriending

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 29 Strengthening communication in autism diagnoses

l Better connectivity between l Recommendations are linked services when educational to special educational needs psychologist added to team processes within schools, making them accessible and l Reduction in need for relevant for SENCOs and additional assessments saves therefore improving outcomes time and resources for children and young people 10 l Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) have a better understanding of the information required for referrals and the assessment process

of professionals’ autism spectrum What is the disorder skills, reduces waiting times for diagnostic assessments, What’s the story? Along with being part of the clinical context? and improves the service for assessment team, the Educational Sometimes an organisation works children and their families. The Psychologist helps to understand well, it’s just they could work that bit more straightforward diagnoses are the child’s learning needs from better with a connecting member made more quickly. The number of existing information or gathers further of staff... appointments can be reduced as information about these to ensure some assessments can be done in that the Social Communication The Social Communication parallel. As the centre is centrally Assessment Clinic is the correct Assessment Clinic runs a diagnostic run by the autism spectrum disorder pathway. They ensure the school service for children aged five to 13 clinic coordinator, waiting times are questionnaires gather relevant years old with suspected autism, but reduced and resources are used information and use the language without other serious complications. more efficiently. The service aims to reduce the of the SEND code of practice. They complete observations within schools numbers being referred to tertiary To bridge the communication gap as part of the assessments. As well care, such as Great Ormond Street between health and education, the as report writing and involvement Hospital. This involves tracking service recruited an Educational in diagnostic discussions, the EP is autism spectrum disorders across Psychologist. This post, part of there to write using the language of the borough of Hackney. And linking the children’s assessment team, the Social Communication Emotional the assessments into one pathway links to schools, where they collect Regulation Transactional Support in compliance with National Institute information prior to the assessment, educational model and within for Health and Care Excellence. Their carry out assessments, link special recognised guidelines, therefore role has been to develop one autism educational needs (SEN) processes linking up with the approach adopted spectrum disorder service uniting to the diagnostic process and by Hackney Leaning Trust. They education, health and social care make recommendations from the also connect with the Education in the borough. individual child’s report to meet their Health Care Plan process where SEN. They also carry out additional appropriate. The service runs through Hackney school feedback meetings where Ark, a centre for children with appropriate. They also strengthen Here’s an example of what happens disabilities and special educational links with special educational needs when the Social Communication needs. This gives parents and coordinators and those working Assessment Clinic Educational carers a single point of referral for within Special Educational Needs Psychologist is involved in an autism assessments, makes use and Disabilities. assessment:

30 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy A pupil at an out of borough a shared understanding of the primary school is on a waiting list child’s SEN and is developed in for an autism spectrum disorder What has been partnership with parents to produce assessment. The SENCO contacts a clear and tailored action plan. the clinic coordinator and shares the impact? Linking up the assessments, and concerns of him being at risk Since the introduction of the EP making the process streamlined for of exclusion. The Educational learning assessments are no longer services, especially for families who Psychologist speaks to the duplicated. The language used in are going through an Education, SENCO, looks at what’s already assessment reports has also been Health and Care needs assessment in place and what could be translated to create a common or who are going to request an helpful. In this instance, another language with education, so the assessment has strengthened Educational Psychologist joins recommendations are in line with health and education links. the school staff and parents for the SEND code of practice. This a reintegration meeting and, with also makes the reports easier to parental permission, the Social understand and more meaningful for Communication Assessment education professionals. This means What has been Clinic’s Educational Psychologist that actions are more likely to be talks with the school’s Educational implemented in schools. learned? Psychologist before and after the The advice given to parents about There is rich information available meeting. The child is seen in clinic education processes and systems within different health and education and ADHD and autism spectrum is more accurate and the rest services. This data is not always disorder are diagnosed. The Social of the Multi-Disciplinary Team used to its full benefit. The impact Communication Assessment Clinic are now more confident in their of having a professional working Educational Psychologist joins understanding of schools’ and across education and health means the parents’ feedback meeting. Hackney Learning Trust processes. this information is now shared more An additional school feedback The EP ensures that education and effectively. meeting is agreed and the child’s health services are more linked in needs are explored further, with terms of information gathering and the development of an action that both pre and post assessment plan. A pupil profile and positive information is shared effectively. management plan are created Who are the following the meeting. The boy’s key contacts? teachers SENCO feel this helps them Dr Esther Adelman, Educational to understand his needs and how to What have been Psychologist, Hackney Learning meet them at school. In addition, the Trust, 0208 820 7656 Educational Psychologist facilitated the key elements , Consultant Child communication between the SENCO Dr Jenny Parker of success? and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and the Education Health Care Because the EP can liaise directly Specialist CAMHS, 0203 222 5600 Plan (EHCP) team so the case can with the Educational Psychology be referred back to panel with the Service, the Re-engagement Unit Dr Susan Crocker, Consultant additional supporting evidence. and Education Health and Care Plan Clinical Psychologist/Joint Head He was given an EHCP to provide team, it means assessments are fully Community CAMHS: CAMHS additional support at school. informed and information is shared Disability and First Steps, Hackney effectively across services. Having Ark, 0207 014 7071 an EP within the team ensures This case study was provided information about learning needs through our partners at the Social Who are the key can be gathered and understood Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), in a way that makes additional a leading improvement support partners? assessments unnecessary. The Child and Mental Health Service agency and an independent charity CAMHS and Child and Mental working with adults’, families’ and Feedback from the SENCOs has Health Service Disability CAMHSD, children’s care and support services been positive in terms of how the Hackney Ark, speech and across the UK. Find out more assessment report helps them language therapists, educational at www.scie.org.uk understand and meet the child’s psychologists, schools, Primary special educational need (SEN) Care Groups, GPs, London at school. Where appropriate, Borough of Hackney, children, additional school feedback parents and carers. meetings take place. This gives

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 31 Harnessing the power of place and community

Wisbech: reawakening the historic capital of the Fens

l Years of underinvestment and l Innovative flood modelling neglect had left ancient town proposal receives finance with uncertain future from the Dutch Government l Garden town proposal could stabilise need for homes while boosting economy 11 and environment

To put this into perspective; Their first success involved securing What is the Wisbech, with all its associated a lease on a disused school with problems, is home to one in four local charity the Ferry Project. context? Fenlanders, around 31,500 people... The building was refurbished and The inland port of Wisbech is widely became the thriving and profitable known as the Capital of the Fens. Queen Mary Centre. In 2017, it was Renowned for its elegant Georgian home to 72 community groups and architecture, history and traditions, had 48,000 visitors. its reputation in recent years was of a What’s the story? town on the way down. Finally, enough was enough. The In order to increase residents’ political leaders of Fenland District employability, the community centre Years of chronic underinvestment Council and Cambridgeshire County now holds a weekly Job Café and an in road and rail meant Wisbech and Council, plus local MP Stephen annual jobs and skills fair. its residents were becoming cut off Barclay, could all see the challenges socially and economically. The 2015 facing Wisbech. Their call for change In an effort to raise students’ Index of Multiple Deprivation had was launched in January 2013 aspiration and attainment, Anglian Wisbech as the 80th most deprived with The Vision project. It called on Water began supporting the Thomas local authority area from 326 local the public and private sectors to Clarkson Academy and the College authorities. be united by `a passion to deliver of West Anglia. It launched two a prosperous future’ and to think new courses in construction and The market town – the largest in the differently to make it work. The Vision engineering. In 2016/17 the academy UK without a railway station – had would later become the Wisbech reached the government’s ‘floor a seven-year lower life expectancy 2020 Vision. target level’ for the first time. From compared to Cambridge just 40 the courses’ first cohort, 14 people miles away. It had high levels Anglian Water was among the first found employment with Anglian or of smoking and poor health. Its to join the partnership. The water the Alliance businesses. transient population meant it had company became a driving force associated housing issues, while early on and in 2013, through The major focus was uniting properties in Wisbech’s high street a Business in the Community Wisbech with the growth areas of had been boarded up or left empty initiative, established their ‘Business Peterborough and Cambridge. An for over 30 years. Changes within Connector’ Russell Beal, a senior Infrastructure for Growth group local industry had created high levels manager, in the town. In support, looked at reconnecting the rail of unemployment and four out of 10 Anglian Water also created a network and road improvements. pensioners relied on limited public steering group – The @one Alliance – This led to a community consultation transport for mobility. If that wasn’t which brought together their first-tier on Wisbech beyond 2020. David bad enough, it was ranked 6th worst suppliers. This saw that a long-term Rudlin, a planner and director of for social mobility nationwide. Finally, project was underwritten with the Urbanism Environment and Design, with educational attainment way Wisbech community. Their first step created a garden town proposal to below the national average, more on the ground was to speak and deliver up to 12,000 homes. than a third of the population lacked listen to residents. Anglian, the Environment Agency, qualifications.

32 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy the local authorities and other agricultural food producers at its The Greater Cambridge Greater agencies, are looking at a new centre. Work is also being done Peterborough Local Enterprise approach to flood modelling, where a to increase engagement with Partnership has also offered garden town can be climate resilient, businesses and restore the image financial support for the QMC’s with blue and green infrastructure of Wisbech as the proud economic Job Café. In 2016, a £40,000 LEP – water and trees, parks etc – at its and social capital of the Fens. grant saw the centre help 928 heart, supporting the existing town unemployed people with their and the new homes development. Further momentum has seen the rail search for employment. Of these The use of the new consultative link included in the County Transport people, 580 became work ready, flood model, a first in the UK, has Plan and Network Rail is about to and 147 found jobs. In 2017, on the also attracted financial support from begin its third stage assessment. back of 2016’s success, the LEP the Dutch Government. This work The Cambridge and Peterborough awarded a further grant of £50,000. underpins the development of a full combined authority has funded garden town proposal. £6.5m behind the garden town proposal, with flood modelling underway financed by the Dutch What has been Government. learned? Who are the key A collaborative approach between Between June 2014 and 2017, public, private, charity and partners? Wisbech was part of Business in the community sectors has been Fenland District Council, Community’s national Healthy High instrumental in delivering progress. Cambridgeshire County Council, Streets programme. It was a national Cambridge and Peterborough initiative to connect business and For Anglian, the company gained combined authority, the Local local authorities to increase footfall, insider knowledge of grass roots’ Enterprise Partnership, Anglian new jobs and a reduction in empty needs. A spokesperson said: Water, Barhale, Balfour Beatty, units. This scheme and the lessons ‘Having the resources and the Sweco, Public Sewer Services, taken from the Business Connector experience to give practical Morrison Utility Services, Kier experience has now evolved into support, we feel as if we’re the Group, Skanska, MWH, Claret Civil Business in the Community’s ones who can unlock private sector Engineering Ltd, Danaher and Pride of Place initiative. engagement, funding and cross- Walsh Group, Clancy Docwra, Mott sector collaboration. MacDonald Bentley, Cognizant, Atos, CSC, Allmi, Capgemini, ‘We’ve brought in and committed Business in the Community, the What have been all our supply chain to work with Environment Agency, Ferry Project, community groups in Wisbech, Dutch Government, residents the key elements where confidence and improvement of Wisbech. is gathering momentum. As a result, of success? we’ve committed our long-term Anglian Water’s Business Connector engagement. For us it shows real has been integral to Wisbech’s commitment to our ‘Connectors’ rejuvenation. During his three-year but also to the stakeholders in that secondment, Russell Beal undertook What has been community. The core lesson we a great deal of work around have learnt is that a longer-term the impact? employment, including the creation involvement, from one Connector to In October 2017, Fenland District of a business-led Job Café at the next, is crucial.’ Council and the Vision Team Wisbech’s Queen Mary community refreshed the Wisbech 2020 centre. He was also responsible Vision, focusing on Education for renovating the centre, originally and Skills, Health and Wellbeing a disused school, by coordinating Who are the and Cohesion, Infrastructure and 180 Anglian Water volunteers over Built Environment and The Local four days. Economy. A programme of work is key contacts? Lisa Cunningham, Director of now underway with the long-term The creation of two courses in Community Investment & Business ambition to improve transport, build construction and mechanical Connectors. local skills, increase tourism and and electrical engineering at a boost retail, creating new jobs and local college has also impacted [email protected] more homes. on Wisbech’s attainment and job 07789 396 374 prospects. To invigorate Wisbech’s local economy the plan is to position

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 33 Spending close to home pays dividends in Preston

l The Preston Model is a game l ITrickle-down economics changer for local authorities a thing of the past for emerging local councils l Anchor institutions hold the 12 key to community wealth The Centre for Local Economic ‘Over the course of the past four What is Strategies, which was already years, with the help of CLES, developing local wealth building and Preston City Council and each of the the context? progressive procurement strategies anchor institutions have shifted their The city of Preston is Lancashire’s with other UK cities, was invited to processes and practices around administrative centre. Only a few work collaboratively with Preston to procurement, so that in 2017 wealth years ago it was feeling the toothy explore options for its economy. is being harnessed more effectively bite of central government’s austerity for the benefit of the local economy.’ measures, while also reeling from the associated withdrawal of a developer What’s the story? Today, across Preston’s anchor and their ambitious economic plans institutions, £128m – or 20.8 percent for the city. The CLES’s primary emphasis of spend – currently leaks out of the In 2011, when Labour councillors was upon changing minds and Lancashire economy. This compares and Cooperative Party councillors behaviours politically and in policy to £457m – or 61 percent of spend – took control of Preston City Council, terms. The idea was to place less back in 2012/13. they quickly realised something emphasis on cost alone and move needed to be done to shore up the towards a consideration of social Derek adds: ‘In terms of employment local economy. They recognised the value. we estimate that the increase in need for a systemic transformation. Preston spend supports some 1,648 The good news was that councillors A CLES spokesperson said: ‘We jobs, with the increase in Lancashire had heard of progressive have engaged senior stakeholders spend supporting some 4,500 jobs.’ procurement work taking place in in each institution, undertaken spend Manchester. Further, members of the analysis, advised on what needs to council had also attended a Centre change in procurement processes, for Local Economic Strategies’ and reviewed progress. CLES has Who are the key session in London, where they been at the heart of a collaborative saw a powerful presentation given movement with our approach shaped partners? by the grass roots Democracy by our experiences and values.’ Preston City Council, CLES, and Collaborative, from Cleveland, Ohio. University of Central Lancashire, The local authority decided it needed Derek Whyte, Assistant Chief Lancashire County Council, to be bold and pursue a vision Executive of Preston City Council, Preston’s College, Cardinal Newman that reimagined the way in which said: ‘By exploring how a change in College, Lancashire Constabulary, economic development could be the spend of existing anchors within Community Gateway Association. pursued. By drawing on learning the public economy could create produced from local wealth-building a local economic dividend, our activities – taking place in the UK partners CLES analysed the top 300 and in America – Preston council suppliers for each of the anchors. decided to challenge trickle-down What has been economics, and instead put their ‘They identified over £1bn of annual the impact? focus on the potential for harnessing procurement spend. However, we There has been a sea-change in existing wealth within local public found that only a small proportion council policy and the authority’s bodies. These public bodies, so- – five percent – was being spent in approach to wealth generation. called anchor institutions, are the Preston, and 39 percent in wider Since developing the Preston Model, largest purchasers of goods and Lancashire. public services now spend £74m services in any given locality.

34 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy more in Preston than they did in other EU cities engaged through the ‘And,’ she added, ‘they are very 2013, with £200m more being spent project’s Procure network. nice people to work with! ’ in Lancashire. That’s 18.2 percent of The project has also led to The total spend taking place in Preston Preston Community Wealth Creation today, compared to five percent four Initiative. years ago. Across Lancashire the What has been total spend on local organisations has gone from 39 percent to 79.2 learned? percent. Since 2013, over £70m has been What have been redirected back into the Preston The anchor institutions involved in the key elements economy with £200m invested into the research now have a greater the Lancashire economy. Spending affinity with the role they play in the of success? behaviour within public bodies has local economy, creating a stronger Tamar Reay is Preston City Council’s been transformed and new tools democracy. They’ve also seen how Project Leader for Procurement. for a fairer economy have been their economic wealth has the power developed. The Preston Model has to impact positively upon residents. ‘We have been working with CLES for more than seven years and their received national attention from There’s also been behavioural involvement has been invaluable in press, government and towns and change with strategists and providing both a critical eye and a cities up and down the country. It’s procurement practitioners. Preston practical solution to our ambitions now helping to shape the narrative has also been put on the map as a for a more inclusive and alternative around what a new post-Brexit, place of progressive local economic local economy. devolved economy could look like. development. It’s also at the forefront of local wealth building work in a UK ‘Their recognised expertise, and European context. There have knowledge and professionalism also been methodology innovations; has also been instrumental in the Who are the with new ways of measuring spend, success of the European URBACT and the development of businesses III Procure network to educate key contacts? and cooperatives. and share good practice in how Derek Whyte, Assistant Chief procurement can create a good Executive, Preston City Council. The Preston Model also says local economy. This collaboration something about the positive powers [email protected] has helped us to realise the 01772 903 430 of collaboration. The project involved emerging Preston Model and the eight local anchor institutions and continuing work around community there was collaboration with 10 wealth building.

Community Asset Transfer: a ‘win-win’ for all in Milton Keynes

l Asset transfer programme l It’s a ‘win-win’ for the frees council of costly council and community responsibilities while groups in Milton Keynes liberating resources l Successful pilot scheme helped develop community 13 transfer snagging list associated withdrawal of a developer local economy. They recognised the What is and their ambitious economic plans need for a systemic transformation. the context? for the city. The good news was that councillors In 2011, when Labour councillors had heard of progressive The city of Preston is Lancashire’s and Cooperative Party councillors procurement work taking place in administrative centre. Only a few took control of Preston City Council, Manchester. Further, members of the years ago it was feeling the toothy they quickly realised something council had also attended a Centre bite of central government’s austerity needed to be done to shore up the for Local Economic Strategies’ measures, while also reeling from the

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 35 session in London, where they The CAT programme, it believes, saw a powerful presentation given Who are the key meets a demonstrable local by the grass roots Democracy partners? community need and contributes Collaborative, from Cleveland, Ohio. to community empowerment. The Preston City Council, CLES, and asset or the value of the asset Milton Keynes Council, ward The local authority decided it needed is protected and preserved for councillors, town councils, parish continuing community benefit. to be bold and pursue a vision councils, community groups. that reimagined the way in which A council spokesperson said: ‘The economic development could be programme is a mutually beneficial, pursued. By drawing on learning simple, proportionate and flexible produced from local wealth-building What has been process. It is governed to ensure activities – taking place in the UK the applicant organisations are and in America – Preston council the impact? locally controlled, open to everyone, decided to challenge trickle-down As a result of the asset transfers, democratic and accountable. economics, and instead put their residents have benefited from Applicants can prove their skills focus on the potential for harnessing improvements to their facilities, and experience, and long term existing wealth within local public such as repairs, refurbishment and sustainability through a business bodies. These public bodies, so- investment in new uses. In some plan.’ called anchor institutions, are the areas of Milton Keynes, community largest purchasers of goods and use of assets has increased by eight services in any given locality. percent. What has been The CAT programme is expected What’s the story? to run for five years. Thirteen of the learned? Milton Keynes Council wanted 50 community assets identified for There needs to be greater clarity communities to be involved in the the CAT programme had transferred in communications to the public. programme from its outset. Ahead to the community by the close of Especially to dispel the myth that of the first consultation, stakeholders 2015. This saw the council deliver large commercial organisations such as parish councils, residents’ £200,000 of the £335,000 savings it could acquire local assets. This associations and user groups were had anticipated. is not the case. The council’s given twelve weeks’ notice of the preference was that partnerships debut event. Most assets have been taken should be locally run and controlled, into the hands of parish and non-profit distributing, inclusive and They started with a pilot community town councils, and management democratic with a track record in asset transfer scheme scheme on committees formed of local running facilities for the community. five community assets: Green Park residents. Community Centre, Stony Stratford Since the pilot CAT programme, Library, Simpson Village Hall, the The programme, says the council, the council has included a pre- Frank Moran Centre, and Downs has proved to be an innovative application checklist in order to give Barn Pavilion and Sports Ground. ‘win-win’ for communities and Milton applicants the opportunity to submit The pilot scheme enabled the council Keynes Council. a more robust bid. to refine its approach to ensure that partners were engaged and informed It was also noted that the positives ahead of each asset/consultation. of the transfer scheme should Each of the asset transfers went What have been be better communicated and through a clear and transparent an explanation of why the local two-step process. This included the key elements authority reasoned a particular assessment panels with ward asset was ripe for community and parish councillors and a of success? transfer. Tamar Reay is Preston City delegated Cabinet decision Council’s The authority has learned with a five day call-in period. A review of the CAT programme that transfers can be delivered In addition to this, applicants identified that there is a need for in a way in which they produce needed to submit evidence that formal approval in the form of an appropriate outcomes for residents they had consulted users of the assessment before an asset is and deliver much needed resources facility as part of their bid. .’ considered for transfer and this for the council. was agreed via a Cabinet members’ decision in June 2015.

36 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Another recent consideration on the web page in the lead up and change in policy will be to the public session. This may the provision of information and include information on the financial Who are the contact opportunities before a details of the property, leaseholder public session takes place. More information, restrictive covenants, key contacts? detailed information on the property condition surveys where available Sarah Gonsalves, Director of has historically been shared at and red line plans of the areas on Policy, Insight and Communications stage two of the transfer process. the transfer list. at Milton Keynes Council, Information is now made available [email protected]. uk 01908 691 691

Co-production of early years’ services in Queen’s Park

Asset-based commissioning asset development and fiscal involves a shift from market-based devolution through the parish to community-based design and precept, a mechanism utilised implementation. Queens Park throughout Local Government is an interesting and successful 14 example of both community

What is We would like to thank those writers who freely shared their research and thinking which informed our first text ‘Asset Based Commissioning, Better the context? Outcomes, Better Value’ We believe that successful asset- Field, R and Miller, C; Asset Based Commissioning, Better Outcomes, Better based commissioning is highly Value, Bournemouth University, www.ncpqsw.com/publications/asset-based- tailored to context and this should commissioning/ determine what is needed and This case study is partly developed from the Public Service Transformation how best to make it happen. Ideas, Academy’s original Queen’s Park Case Study, ‘Co-production of early Years’ projects and approaches that work Service in Queen’s Park’ and Neil Johnston, Chief Executive of the Paddington in one area are unlikely to work Trust, who provided additional material, insights and reflections. elsewhere, without at least some www.publicservicetransformation.org/images/Queens_park_final.pdf – this tailoring. Communities have different forms part of a series of 25 case studies: www.publicservicetransformation. asset bases, host different formal org/2015/03/better-commissioning-public-services/ and informal local organisations and have different histories, traditions and culture. They also differ in terms little English. There are high rates of company and social enterprise with whether they include individuals or transient populations and significant ten year’s experience of community groups with the vision, drive, skills social isolation. organisation and development and capacity to make asset based within Queen’s Park. Active citizens, commissioning happen. In 2011 Paddington Development facilitated by the Trust established Trust (PDT) prepared a proposal for Queen’s Park Forum in 2002 and Queens Park ward is within the City Queen’s Park to be a Department for after petitioning for Parish status in of Westminster and has a population Communities and Local Government 2011/2012 established a Shadow of 12,750. It is highly residential with (DCLG) two-year neighbourhood Community Council in 2012. 70 percent social housing and is one community budget pilot which was Following a Westminster-wide of London’s most deprived wards. launched in April 2012. governance review and a local Llife expectancy is 19 years lower Prior to DCLG, funding a number referendum that returned a 70% vote than in parts of Westminster that are of developments had prepared of support, a full Community Council less than two miles away. A majority the ward for neighbourhood level was formed in 2014. Importantly, of children in the area have English commissioning. Key amongst these the powers of the Community as an additional language and a being the Paddington Development Council (a form of Parish Council) high proportion of parents speak Trust – a not-for-profit regeneration include being able to raise its own

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 37 precept. Queen’s Park Children from less by harnessing the strength to support pregnant and new and Wellbeing Commission, which of the community budget partnership parents with babies up to one- was an overarching community together with the goodwill of year old. level, co-commissioning forum, residents and service providers .’ l Supporting the establishment was also formed in 2012 by PDT. of a new local social enterprise This body, which brought together ‘Creative Futures’ that created key systems leaders, became a a new ‘Sounds Like Fun’ powerful partnership vehicle and What system playgroup offering five drop-in has been incorporated into Queens leaders did sessions a week. These were Park Community Council (QPCC) co-hosted by the Maternity and Committee structure. and how Community Health Champions The DCLG Neighbourhood Central to achieving this aim who welcomed new arrivals, Community Budget pilot and was facilitating a whole-systems signposted people to advice theory of change involved PDT in children’s centre, out of which a and support with the playgroup. conducting research and cost- more flexible team would work This provided a friendly space benefit analysis into mainstream local alongside a growing cohort of active for parents to meet and socialise Early Years budgets and services citizens. Led by PDT facilitators, this and once a month the health to determine feasibility of a genuine was to be achieved by visitor team provided advice and Neighbourhood Community Budget l Physically co-locating and support. derived from Westminster Council integrating health visiting and l Producing a map of local Children’s Services and Central midwifery with the children’s facilities and goody bags. The London Community Healthcare Trust. centre to work alongside a map identified facilities available This proved to be challenging, not growing cohort of active citizens. to parents and children in least because of the severe budget Queen’s Park and the ‘goody reductions arising from the austerity l Recruiting volunteer Community Champions for delivering bags’ contained items selected programme and subsequent by pregnant women and mothers protection of individual budgets. important messages to the community, principally around with children under four years who had attended the new Despite the significant challenges health and family. These were also involved in co-designing playgroup and drop-in sessions. facing the community, the Queen’s The map and goody bags were Park context was one which might service changes, including conducting 500 interviews within produced by the Queen’s Park be expected to support asset based Co-Design Practice Group. commissioning. Coordinating local the local community, actively level structures, local residents with signposting and linking parents The way in which asset based experience of successfully working into local services. commissioning is undertaken is together in pursuit of common l Creating a network of Maternity as important as how it is done, goals, wider-area commitment and Champions who were trained which in Queen’s Park involved: a degree of financial devolution are all very helpful to developing asset Structures, processes Support, relationships based practice. This was tested and systems and encouragement by the community adoption of the Convening a community meeting to discuss Convening a community meeting to discuss Queens Park Early Years Project resident priorities. Particular concerns were The University of Westminster Business School voiced about gang violence and more broadly facilitating a series of workshops to enable voted by local residents to be the about the quality and availability of services residents to build their capacity and confidence focus for the DCLG Neighbourhood and support for children and young people. to engage in the process of co-designing local Community Budget (re-named Our Early years was chosen by residents as services. the focus of the neighbourhood community Place by DCLG) Addressing organisational cultural differences budget pilot. between the services to cause suppliers to work better together and co-produce with residents

Mapping local budgets and assets, assessing The Tri-borough Public Health Team Objectives the feasibility of mutualisation and developing commissioning PDT to deliver a Community an overall business case, cost-benefit Health Champions Programme with the aim of and intended analysis and governance infrastructure. improving health and wellbeing and tackling health inequalities through co-production with outcomes local residents

The objectives for the Queen’s Forming a Co-Design Practice Group Continuing support from Paddington Park Early Year’s Project included involving a small group of residents in service Development Trust for community changing and improving the future co-design through planning and implementing representatives to enable them to take on life chances of children at risk an early year’s project. This group has now their new roles as co-producers and service been subsumed by the QPCC suppliers. through early intervention, enabling a sustainable resident stake in Improving inter-agency communication and Encouraging the local community to take on a greater commissioning role children’ services and getting more information technology

38 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy for the local authority, related indicates a 5:1 return on to diabetes, improved mental investment Results well-being, community cohesion, l £60,000 of lottery funding The tangible results from this project and reduced isolation of families secured by Creative Futures to included: and older people. Community continue the drop-in sessions for Champions now number over 20 l Co-location of health visiting, families at the children’s centre, volunteers midwifery and the children’s as a result of encouraging a local l centre A new playgroup co-produced community organisation to be by Creative Futures, PDT and involved in co-commissioning l Successful introduction of local residents running weekly l ’Maternity champions’. An NCT Projected savings of £100,000 drop-in sessions. evaluation in 2016 concluded that per annum for years 1-5, l ‘the PDT Maternity Champions A map of local facilities and £350,000 for years 6-10 and project has been successful goody bags £442,000 thereafter. Evaluation in achieving its primary aim l Identification of, and outreach to, shows a 5:1 SROI. of recruiting and training five 328 infants that had not benefitted Maternity Champions to support from available services. In addition, there were a number of less tangible but also important parents from pregnancy up l Originally designed for 1,020 it results, including: to the first year after birth’. It was projected that increased also included that ‘the support usage would reduce the unit l Improved community assets and provided by Maternity Champions costs of children’s centre services relationships. is valued by parents and from £192 to £132 per child. l Improved relations between contributes to improved access However, subsequent austerity mainstream service suppliers to postnatal support services and reductions have led to 50% cuts (Public Health, WCC, CCGs) feelings of wellbeing. in local Children’s Centre services and the community resolving the l 14 local parents operating as which has resulted in increased historical difficulty of recruiting Community Champions. An SROI reliance on voluntary Maternity local volunteers. analysis estimated £5.05 of social and Community Champions to l An enhanced capacity to meet and economic value is generated target hard-to-reach families the growing imperative for for every £1 invested – of which and create savings. Evaluation community co-commissioning at least £1.65 of care resource data suggests this has been and coproduction. savings are potentially generated successful where the SROI

Compliance with principles of asset based practice and key characteristics of asset based commissioning

early community meeting. This Asset based principles Whole life together with significant reliance on Enabling volunteering as a ladder volunteers, the production of the map All assets to future employment rather than and goody bags containing items The production of a map by just focusing on the organisational judged by citizens as being useful to community members and ‘goody concerns of children’s and health new parents are examples of citizen bags’ are both consistent with the services are to an extent evidence of driven services and supports. all assets principle. Both provide or this principle in play. make parents aware of everyday services, community facilities and Strong, inclusive communities Everyone Using community champions to things they will find useful. Both Health visiting and maternity support reach out to parents who had also drew upon the knowledge and are essential universal services on previously not used the children’s experience of community members. which parents and children rely centre brought together more The maternity champions have been but which a sizeable proportion of parents and facilitated links to be important sources of child care local parents and children had not formed. The work of the Community advice alongside existing heath been accessing. The decision to Council stimulated community visitors and midwives. co-locate and, to a degree, remodel activity and supported the successful the service via Maternity Champions recruiting of volunteers. Both align Citizen driven illustrates how services originally well with the strong, inclusive The original decision to focus designed for the average citizen can communities principle on early years was taken at an begin to be remodelled for everyone.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 39 Key Features of Asset and dietary awareness; and by use of existing commissioning improving reading and participatory processes to develop aspects of Based Commissioning activities in creative play. multi-level commissioning, which is an important feature of asset- Focus on whole life and People and communities as equal based commissioning. Wide area community outcomes and assets decision-makers commissioning took the form of of people and communities a commitment by Westminster There was a focus on enabling more Council Children’s Services, Tri- Aspects of the way the project was effective involvement of people borough Public Health and the commissioned, and in turn, how it and communities in decision- Clinical Commissioning Group commissioned change, suggest a making. The Community Champion to commission locally based shift towards valuing the assets of Coordinator was a member of the solutions. At a community level, people and communities as well as Children and Wellbeing Commission the Co-Design Practice group those of local social enterprise The and it is evident that some of the provided space and opportunity for Queen’s Park Children and Wellbeing views of citizens were considered individuals to develop and progress Commission comprised formal e.g. regarding co-location and ideas on behalf of the community. representation from mainstream integration of services. However, Community champions played a agencies and commissioners mainstream commissioners retained key role in surveying the views and community participation and control of their own decision- of the community and exercised representation from PDT (which making and find it culturally and influence via their direct link into the Chaired the Commission), the commercially difficult to switch Children and Wellbeing Commission Chair of the Shadow QPCC and from market driven unit-priced and QPCC. At the individual level limited parental representation. services to community-based the Community and Maternity Some individual and community provision. There may be scope to Champions along with front-line assets may not have been fully extend citizen involvement as equal organisational service suppliers utilised as Community and parental decision makers through QPCC but made people aware of, and linked representatives did not have powers entrenched market models make them into, services and supports. to shift mainstream budgets into the it difficult to for citizens to have an Collaborative commissioning neighbourhood context. The terms equal say in all commissioning. was adopted by third sector of reference however clearly were People and communities as co- organisations (PDT, Creative designed to improve services and commissioners, fully engaged Futures),and developed through the skills and capacity of parents, suppliers and system leadership volunteers and suppliers. Resource commissioning processes and local mapping and the involvement of The project involved people partnerships arrangements, bringing community champions suggest that and communities more fully in together a range of organisational the assets of local people e.g. skills commissioning decision-making stakeholders including local and knowledge and commitment than is commonly the case. authority children’s services, were utilised. Organisational suppliers were also midwifery, community health, the involved in partnership discussions CCG, children and family centre and increasing collaborative action providers. Outcomes produced by people between service suppliers became and communities a major commissioning priority. Proactive use of all assets There is explicit recognition of the The explicit aim was to develop of people, communities and role that community run services and a whole systems approach and organisations supporters, together with parents, enable the community to continue play in improving the life chances of to play a sustainable role in co- Developments that moved in children. This is consistent with the commissioning outcomes. These the direction of stimulating and perceptions of those that practice changes all contribute to the shift reshaping the assets and actions asset based commissioning hold, in relationships required by asset of people and communities as well that outcomes are produced by based commissioning. As above as organisations took several forms. people and communities in co- there may be scope for greater Enabling organisational cultural production with state organisations, citizen involvement in decision change was central to achieving and through self-help. Health making at a community level. agreement to co-locate services visitors practice changed through and enabling the children’s centre, attendance at community-based health visitors and midwifery staff Commissioning processes work to work together as a multi– baby drop-ins; public health embed asset based principles, messaging and health advice was skilled team. The initial study and multi-level commissioning further work by the Paddington improved by utilising maternity and and new relationships health community champions, for Development Trust enabled This project created new, or made example by improving dental care Community Council members

40 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy and other local people to develop assets (QPCC, Champions, underpin asset based practice are their roles as co-commissioners. PDT, Creative Futures) would being observed in Queen’s Park For example, by commissioning potentially increase the extent and that practice is clearly moving Westminster University to provide to which they direct and in the direction of asset based local people who had no previous produce outcomes, are equal commissioning, yet aspects of this experience of commissioning with decision makers and truly co- could be developed further. facilitation to develop their skills and commissioners Like any major transition, the change knowledge. The Co-Design Group l Having the ability to precept from conventional to full blown also provided further supportive a neighbourhood budget has asset-based commissioning will space for putting ideas into action. empowered residents and not be achieved in one great leap. given the community confident Much of the change will be achieved to question and challenge through a continual process that Objectives mainstream organisations. involves reshaping decision-making As a result, the power relationship and working relationships, budget A number of lessons arise from is likely to be more balanced. devolution, organisational culture- this case; change and collaborative leadership. l Identifying and valuing the costs The developments made in and benefits arising from Aspects of the context within commissioning in Queens Park are a project such as Queen’s Park which the Early Years Project was therefore both important in their is challenging. developed were conducive to an own right and, should there be a asset based approach future wish to do so, are stepping- l All five of the asset based stones to making the full scale shift principles can be seen in practice Concluding from conventional to asset-based at Queen’s Park commissioning. Readers are invited to reflect on l Most of the features of asset comments the extent to which their context based commissioning can Asset based commissioning brings is conducive to asset based be seen in the Queen’s together two complementary commissioning and how this might Park example. Extending developments, asset based practice affect any approach to move in this the involvement of citizens and commissioning. There is direction. through existing community evidence that the five principles that When being affordable is a community effort – community housing

l The Housing Commission is aimed at promoting good on Community-Led Housing practice and innovation to published its report, enable councils to work with ‘Community-Led Housing: a communities to generate Key Role for Local Authorities’. more affordable housing and 15 Set up by the Co-operative make best use of government Councils’ Innovation Network as funding for community-led a policy lab and led by Croydon housing (CLH) Council, its practical approach

– the South East in particular – rising economic contraction, migration and What is house prices and private rents, demographic change have led to difficulties in accessing mortgages low demand for social housing and the context? and raising deposits and welfare stagnating housing markets blighted The housing market is failing to meet changes, are placing decent homes by empty homes and stuck in a cycle the needs of local communities. out of reach of families on average of disinvestment and decline. The symptoms of failure vary salaries, landlord repossessions according to the characteristics of have become the biggest cause of Housing supply has lagged behind the local housing market. In areas homelessness, and rough sleeping demand created by population experiencing pressing housing need is increasing. In other areas increase for many years. Land Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 41 supply, planning policy and capacity meet housing need. The emphasis Led Housing: a Key Role for Local within the construction sector was on adopting a practical rather Authorities’. are often cited as major barriers than a theoretical approach and to increased housing delivery. enabling councils to make best use Written from the local authorities’ However, reforms in these areas of government funding for CLH. point of view, the report argues have had a limited impact, and that CLH should be ‘added to some are accused of further fuelling The Commissioners included the strategic mix’ to increase the house price inflation. We need new representatives of local authorities supply of homes that local people approaches to meet the housing (Cardiff Council, Croydon Council, can afford. Different solutions are needs of local communities that Oldham Metropolitan Borough required for different markets, but involve community resources and Council and Rochdale Borough CLH can make a contribution, commitment as part of the solution. Council), campaigning and support whether through new build homes, organisations, policy experts returning empty properties to The publication of the Housing and leaders of community-led use or introducing CLH into the Commission report and case studies organisations. They were appointed management of existing homes. has been timely because the Ministry to ensure that the Housing The report provides an introduction of Housing, Communities and Local Commission reflected a broad set of to CLH and how it comes into Government is shortly due to publish requirements, specifically: being including funding available. the prospectus for the next phase of l To ensure a good cross section of It sets out how CLH can help local the £240m Community Housing Fund sectors and community groups; authorities achieve their strategic in England. This Fund is providing priorities and bring resources into l To provide a good geographical £60m a year over three years for the area, and gives examples of how spread of representation to reflect local community groups, registered authorities can enable or support it. the nuances and needs from providers and local authorities to It also provides sources of further different regions; support community-led housing guidance and contacts in local (CLH). Funding for CLH is also l Ensuring cutting edge, front line authorities. provided by the Welsh and Scottish and specialist expertise. governments. Twelve detailed local authority As part of the development of the case studies set out how and While there are several reports on work, the Housing Commission led why a council is supporting CLH, CLH and case studies, there was no on several successful engagement who it is working with, and give report focusing in particular on the events that were critical in shaping examples of homes created in their role of local authorities. Existing case the focus of the work of the Housing area. Authorities featured are from studies tend to focus on individual Commission and its final report. England, Wales and Scotland, and CLH schemes rather than on the These Evidence Sessions took include urban and rural areas of both contribution they can make to local place in Rochdale and London. high and low housing demand: . .’ housing strategies. . This was essential in ensuring a fair approach to engagement and The report is available at Many local authorities are unfamiliar recognition of North/South issues www.ccinhousing.co.uk and with CLH. Some consider such and priorities, in line with the CCIN case studies at http://www. schemes to be a luxury, requiring Values and Principles. Interim reports ccinhousing.co.uk/case-studies/ a lot of officer input in return for were produced after each evidence relatively few new homes, when they session. need to build or enable large-scale developments to tackle huge housing A significant volume of evidence was Who are the key demand and reduce spending gathered from both sessions and this on temporary accommodation for contributed to an additional body partners? The Housing Commissioners were homeless households. of evidence, which was gathered from a later call for evidence to local l Cllr Jamie Audsley – Croydon authorities across England, Scotland Council and Wales. l Nic Bliss, Head of Policy, What’s the story? Confederation of Co-operative The Housing Commission on To promote the work of the project Housing Community-Led Housing was set a dedicated website was l up by CCIN as a policy lab and led Donna Bowler, Assistant Director established, which aimed to promote – Place, Rochdale BC by Croydon Council to spread good the work and raise awareness l , LILAC (Low practice to encourage and enable ( ). Paul Chatterton www.ccinhousing.co.uk Impact Living Affordable local authorities to engage with In January 2018, the Commission Community) community-led housing initiatives published its report, ‘Community- that generate affordable housing and l Jon Fitzmaurice OBE, Director, Self-Help Housing Network

42 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Country Urban Housing New build/ Local authority / region / rural demand refurbished homes it will be available from May 2018 Brighton & Hove City South East Urban High New build & at . This resource Council refurbished homes www.clhtoolkit.org will cover community engagement, New build & planning, funding and legal issues Bristol City Council South West Urban High refurbished homes and will provide templates and Carmarthenshire process maps for local government Wales Urban/ High New build County Council officers. Rural Chichester District South East Rural High New build Council Cornwal Council South West Rural High New build What have been East Cambridgeshire East Rural High New build District Council the key elements

Glasgow City Council Scotland Urban High New build & of success? & low refurbished homes Tamar Reay is Preston City Council’s The authority has learned Hull City Council Yorkshire Urban Low Refurbished & Humber homes that transfers can be delivered in a way in which they produce Leeds City Council Yorkshire Urban High New build & appropriate outcomes for residents & Humber refurbished homes and deliver much needed resources for the council. Lewisham Council London Urban High New build The CAT programme, it believes, Liverpool City Council North West Urban Low Refurbished homes meets a demonstrable local Redditch Borough West community need and contributes Midlands Urban High New build Council to community empowerment. The asset or the value of the asset is protected and preserved for l Calum Green, Community Organiser (Affordable Housing) continuing community benefit. London Citizens/Citizens UK What has been A council spokesperson said: ‘The l Catherine Harrington, Director, programme is a mutually beneficial, National CLT Network the impact? simple, proportionate and flexible The report has been welcomed by process. It is governed to ensure l Stephen Hill, Director C2O the Ministry of Housing Communities futureplanners the applicant organisations are and Local Government as an locally controlled, open to everyone, l David Jaques, Housing impressive ad useful piece of work democratic and accountable. Development Manager, City of and CLH support organisations Applicants can prove their skills Cardiff Council such as the National CLT Network, and experience, and long term l Lyn Kesterton, Development Confederation of Co-operative sustainability through a business Manager, Locality Housing and Self-Help Housing plan.’ l Jenny Line, Programme Network consider that it will be Manager, Building and Social helpful in furthering their work. Housing Foundation (BSHF) The report has generated interest What has been l Toby Lloyd, Head of Housing Development, Shelter amount local authorities at recent conferences on community- learned? l The Housing Commission Cllr Tony Newman, Leader – led housing. The full impact will found that: Croydon Council become clear in time and once the 1. Good work is being done on l John Rooney, Head of Housing, prospectus of the next phase of the the ground by councils: the Response Services & Districts, MHCLH’s Community Housing Fund Commission has gathered Oldham MBC is published. examples and provided practical l Dave Smith, External Affairs information to enable councils A CLH Technical Toolkit for local Manager (London), National to support CLH. However other government, developed by the Housing Federation authorities are unaware of CLH Housing Associations’ Charitable or lack the knowledge or Trust (HACT), has been informed resources to support it. by the Commission’s findings and case studies. It is anticipated that 2. Authorities in both high and low housing demand areas,

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 43 and urban and rural areas are developers. Leasing for a supporting/enabling CLH, as it Factors Underpinning Support nominal fee increases the CLH helps them achieve their strategic For Community Led Housing organisation’s asset base, priorities in four areas: enabling it to borrow more The support authorities give to CLH resources for the project. Some a.improving housing supply varies greatly, depending on their authorities in low demand areas and providing permanently local circumstances and priorities. affordable housing; CLH transfer empty properties at It is definitely not a case of ‘one nil or discounted value to CLH wins support for residential size fitting all’. Local authorities can development as it is for local groups in order to regenerate a enable CLH through policy and/or neighbourhood. people and permanently support it with resources. affordable Policy Sales at less than best consideration b. regenerating are possible under certain

neighbourhoods and returning 1. Leadership conditions where the disposal is Ideally this would include both empty homes to use; likely to contribute to economic, a political champion with the social or environmental wellbeing c. empowering communities ambition to support CLH and and the undervalue is less than to become more sustainable, an officer champion to link up viable and self-reliant £2m. Even if an authority cannot the ambition with the authority’s dispose of an asset at a discounted d. involving residents in strategy and processes across value, offering a deferred payment addressing housing need. the organisation. arrangement or an exclusive option to buy for one year could enable a 3. CLH can bring resources into 2. A policy environment the area through: supportive of CLH group to raise the loan. If a site is Aligning planning, corporate designated for affordable housing, l their own loan finance, asset management and housing the CLH group may be able to fundraising and labour policies can create opportunities afford the market value. l a social return through their use for CLH schemes. Housing of local labour and local supply policies that enable CLH would 5. Funding by local authorities chains include a housing strategy that Some authorities fund CLH by l increasing confidence in includes CLH schemes as part using sources such as Right to the local area and attracting of its approach to affordable Buy receipts, prudential borrowing, further investment, and enabling housing delivery; an empty second homes Council Tax, employers to recruit and retain property strategy that includes commuted section 106 sums their workforce, in effect acting as CLH resources to tackle empty and the New Homes Bonus. The an agent for economic growth. homes; and an allocations policy Community Housing Fund has that identifies potential CLH enabled some English authorities to 4 Some areas have ambitions to residents from households in support CLH for the first time. The scale up CLH: Bristol Council is housing need. Welsh Government co-operative aiming for 300-500 homes in 5 3. Land made available through housing programme includes years; Leeds Community Homes planning policy revenue funding to develop 19 pilot aspires to create 1000 homes in A review of sites can assess CLH schemes, delivered through 10 years. their suitability for CLH and the Welsh Cooperative Centre. 5. The provision of clear guidance local plan can make provision on social value for local for CLH schemes. Planning Revenue funding includes start authorities considering asset policy can allow development up grants to meet the costs of disposal at below market value on rural exception sites with constituting a group, and revolving would encourage more authorities the presumption that it is loans funds for pre-development to support CLH and scale it up. to be community-led, and costs, as well as support for 6. The MHCLG £180m Community a supplementary planning fundraising. Capital funding Housing Fund has enabled some document can set out clearly includes grants and revolving loans English authorities to support CLH what is required of CLH projects to support the costs of purchase or for the first time thorugh its round in order to increase the chances site remediation and construction or 1 allocations. The Government is of their obtaining planning property refurbishment. A revolving urged to extend this support to permission. loan provides up-front capital to buy build on achievements so far over sites and reduce the risk to groups. the next two rounds of funding Resources Loans are repaid as the new homes for 2018/9 and 2019/20. The lack 4. Council assets provided are sold or transferred. of resources and government through sale or asset transfer 6. Enabling support grant has prevented some other Authorities may identify small Depending on the expertise of its councils from continuing to sites not appealing to larger members or staff, CLH schemes will support CLH at scale.

44 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy need support and advice through new community groups with more development of new CLH groups. the five stages of a project: forming experienced ones or with a local the group; securing a site; planning, housing association committed designing and financing the to developing CLH schemes. Who are the scheme; building; and managing One district council has set up a key contacts? the completed homes. Enabling development company to provide Section 6 of the report ‘Where you support can be provided by a local an experienced partner for CLH can get help’ lists the contacts in authority or through a national or groups. Councils also facilitate each of the case study authorities as regional CLH support organisation. the exchange of information well as the websites of national CLH Some authorities have helped to on potential development sites support organisations and regional set up CLH enablers or umbrella or empty homes. They provide support for CLH. CLTs and subsequently worked in guidance on the planning process partnership with them. and support funding bids. John Montes, Senior Corporate Some raise awareness of CLH Strategy Officer – Croydon Council Authorities support CLH through in the community to foster the partnership work. They connect [email protected] Tel: 020 8726 6000 ext. 61613

Collaborative working

Ringing the changes in Braunstone blue light services

l Blue light services had biggest l Community reports greater demand in one small pocket of wellbeing since launch Leicester of the Braunstone Blues initiative l Empirical approach to problem solving saw multi-agency team l Reduction in number of engage with residents phone calls made to the 16 police and fire service

Uniting staff from Leicestershire Fire Edd Rodgers is the Braunstone Blues What is and Rescue Service, Leicestershire team leader: ‘During the sessions, Police and East Midlands Ambulance we identify any barriers in their lives the context? Service, the team had the aim of that are affecting them, such as The housing market is failing to improving conditions for residents mental health, financial problems meet The Braunstone Estate in while reducing the demand on or lack of aspirations, and we look Leicester has long had a reputation their resources. at how they can overcome these for deprivation. With poor health barriers. We encourage residents to and high unemployment now a feel more positive and to take control generational tradition, its use of the What’s the story? of their lives by helping them to make city’s emergency services has been decisions and by increasing their When launched in May 2015, the increasing year on year. On average, self-confidence.’ there are 15 emergency calls a day partnership’s first step was to knock on doors in the locality and speak from a population of around 15,700. In the three years it’s been running to the people using their services. Braunstone, despite its small size, the Braunstone Blues team has made It was here they shared information has the highest demand of any area 2,637 home visits and delivered on how to be healthy, safe and in all of Leicester, Leicestershire and extensive community activities, secure. Where appropriate, residents Rutland. uniting users with volunteering were directed to other services and opportunities and local organisations. organisations for help and support. Braunstone Blues is a project that Braunstone Blues, based at the The 30-minute meetings looked works on the knowledge the people estate’s primary school, has actively at home security, vehicle security, who were repeatedly ringing 999 set out to foster a greater sense of home safety, fire safety, child safety were likely to share or face similar community in Braunstone. underlying difficulties or issues. and health and wellbeing.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 45 In June 2017, the team introduced their lives and community, with 94 informed picture of local demand Life Skills, a workshop developed by percent saying they felt better able to for 999 services. It has helped psychologists to help people make cope. Of the attendees, 85 percent local providers identify and help better informed decisions and take said they could now change their Braunstone’s most vulnerable people. control of their lives. community for the better, compared to just 52 percent pre-intervention.

Since 2015, Braunstone Blues has What has been Who are the key fitted 600 smoke alarms, 200 window and shed alarms and conducted learned? partners? The multi-disciplinary team has seen 550 health checks. Braunstone was Leicestershire Fire and Rescue that engaging with individuals at amongst the highest demand areas. Service, Leicestershire Police, a personal level works better than East Midlands Ambulance Service, wider awareness campaigning. This work saw them become winners Leicester City Clinical Commissioning When interactions are more of the Emergency Services Group and B-Inspired, a Braunstone personal they are more meaningful Partnership of the Year Award 2016 voluntary group and Leicester City to residents. The increased service and winners of the High Sheriff Council. presence has made people feel safer of Leicestershire Award 2017 for and more valued within the estate. Innovative Partnership Working. Also, when services work together What has been it allows for appropriate resources the impact? What have been to be identified at an earlier stage, There has been a marked decrease helping individuals avoid the need or in the number of 999 calls being the key elements urge to ring 999. made to the police and fire service from Braunstone. The numbers are of success? The huge community response has currently being audited. However, been generated, at least in part, by Who are the key there has been an increase in the having a multi-skilled and dedicated number of calls being made to the team in one building within the contacts? ambulance service, although more of , Braunstone Blues estate, being both visible and Edd Rodgers these calls are being filtered through Team Leader, approachable. the non-emergency 101 service. [email protected]. . The ability to share information 07800 709 802 Further, Braunstone’s residents have between partners – the blue light , Braunstone Blues’ reported feeling safer, healthier and Jessica Essex services, charities, support groups, Communications Officer jessica. happier. Life Skills’ users said the the local authority – has built an sessions had made a difference to [email protected] 07966 111 273

‘What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?’ Why commissioners should stop commissioning and start collaborating – Citizen Commissioners in Sutton

l Commissioners don’t have l Local people will engage but all the answers and cannot it must be worth their while work alone – and not what you think is l You may not always save money worth their while 17 but you can avoid costs members agreed to a values-based in the mid noughties in adult social What is and value-focused commissioning care. The reason was to improve the context? approach. At its heart, it encourages conditions for vulnerable adults with Sutton Council has been on a officers to seek the best return learning disabilities and to meet a journey. We’ve gone from services on public money, instead of the local need to shut one of the last long supplied by the council to services cheapest option. Our earliest stay hospitals in Britain. of mixed provision. In 2011, our innovations in commissioning began

46 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy This case study aims to show that commissioning process is integral to Citizen Commissioners of any commissioning skills honed in our decision making, and, therefore, age from 12 upwards, train them, this period have developed into what our residents receive, there and incorporate the group of young an organisational approach – an was little doubt that to change people already hard at work. approach which could soon be our relationship with residents, we borough-wide, and which centralises needed a commissioning framework Our local volunteer centre won residents, with clear evidence why that enabled collaboration. At the the contract and we now have and the impact of doing so. time, we had some tough decisions about 115 local people trained and to make about our children’s a core who are regularly active services, and so we agreed and others who do more ad-hoc What’s the story? to train some young people in the projects. They’ve been achieving A shamelessly personal reflection art of commissioning and, in some a lot. From working on the sexual now. I started working in adult ways, let them loose within our health website consultation, the learning disabilities over a decade commissioning team. Sutton Young People Survey, ago. I worked in respite, residential E-Safety feedback, Sutton Recycling and day care and eventually Yes, their expectations had to be Campaign, the Make Your Mark managed services. Around this managed and no, they could not project and the recommissioning of time the Valuing People Support have actual money to spend, but looked after children placements. Team was working to improve our the first principle was that their view And they’ve recently undertaken clients’ lives. was as valid, if not more so, than the a huge piece of work which is part paid staff. of the Sutton Plan. One of the dichotomies I struggled with then was the fact people The council paid for a young cohort And that is where we are today. coming into the service were to be given accredited training Not everyone we have trained has adult, with associated rights and in commissioning, while each fulfilled their side of the deal, often responsibilities, yet the service was committed to one project. We linked for perfectly legitimate reasons, shaped for their families. Which is them up with commissioners from but those that have are amazing not necessarily a problem, although the council and let them choose people who have gone over and one situation remains with me: the their work. They chose public health, above what we asked – and proven evening I took a group of adults regeneration of a local park and beyond doubt the value of opening to the pub. One person got drunk services for looked after children, commissioning to local people. and had a good time. Their family, among other projects. Every time I meet one of them, however, was deeply unimpressed. it holds me to account as an investor They felt I had allowed that adult to We had those young people, plus of public money, and in a way make a bad choice. others trained later, designing that submitting reports and being surveys, canvassing harder- dragged into the boss’s office I may not have a perfect answer to-reach groups, connecting never can. to this one but, for me, it was more stakeholders, presenting at market important to respect that person’s consultation events, helping to set right to make a choice, and then to method statements, contributing Who are the support it. After all, it was neither to specifications, taking part in a health risk, nor an issue about tender evaluations and monitoring key partners? previous abstinence. It was about performance. And they spotted The Volunteer Centre Sutton and quantity. From then, I began when we missed things, too. I Sutton Council. challenging why services were the remember being in a room talking way were. For example, respite is about healthy eating and obesity, about giving carers a break, but it’s with lots of experts who spent over the cared for who leave their homes. an hour on the topic, only for the What has been I still do not really understand why young commissioner in the room to point out that, at her college, the the impact? that is fair. The completion of more than a biggest problem was among young hundred commissioning projects, men undereating. We checked, she Fast forward to 2011, and I was the development of ongoing was correct, and we changed the managing a project to turn the local relationships between 37 local specification. authority into a commissioning organisations and public-sector council. Members were clear: this agencies, and the solid engagement Members could see the value didn’t mean outsourcing only, or of 520 Sutton residents. And much of this community-led approach. cheapest wins. It meant having a more besides. robust, evidence-based approach So we tendered for a provider to select the best option. So, if the to run a project that would support

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 47 Also, the £20,000 for the launch projects. Procurement is not a barrier What have been was integral, as was a good to full contribution from locals and it’s choice of commissioning projects. not the commissioner’s job to decide the key elements upon engaging locals, it’s theirs. of success? Finally, if you get something wrong You’ve got to take a positive admit it, learn from it and move on. approach to risk across all tiers What has been of the council. The expertise of learned? our volunteer centre was vital, If you trust people’s good nature you Who are the key as was having enthusiastic learn new things, possibly before young people in the first cohort they become problematic. Also, do contacts? who were appropriately trained. not expect people to take part in Tom Alexander, Head of Strategic Striking a balance was crucial: commissioning without making clear Business, Commissioning & volunteers simply needed to what is involved. Allow people to Governance, London Borough of know their involvement would be experience the whole commissioning Sutton [email protected] meaningful, not a direct influence. cycle, or repeat aspects with different 020 8770 4522

‘It’s a simple process – the best ideas always are’ - reducing violence in Cardiff through collaboration

l The police had scarce data l The Cardiff Model has made on violence which resulted and continues to make the in emergency treatment world a safer place l Collaboration between l Polycarbonate pint glasses, medicine, local government street pedestrianisation and police proved to be and real time CCTV among 18 a breakthrough prevention methods

Research Group and its prevention translates the combined information What is arm, the Cardiff Violence Prevention into practical prevention. Board. The latter group was a the context? prototype Safety Partnership, and Back in the 1990s, increasing now acts as a blueprint in the Crime numbers of people suffering cut Who are the key and Disorder Act. faces, broken jaws and fractured cheekbones were turning up partners? The Violence and Society Group Cardiff University’s Violence and at accident and emergency developed the Cardiff Model, an Society Research Group, and the departments across the UK. entirely new way of preventing Cardiff Violence Prevention Board Jonathan Shepherd, a Cardiff violence based on information from which comprises Cardiff County University professor and maxillofacial emergency health services as well as Council, South Wales Police, the surgeon, was treating these patients police intelligence. University Hospital of Wales and the in the Welsh capital. He discovered third sector organisation the Street that most of this violence wasn’t Data collection begins with Pastors known to the police – mainly because receptionists at accident and injured people weren’t reporting emergency departments recording these offences. With a bird’s eye precise violence locations and view of the situation, he determined What has been weapon types from the people that something needed to be done. injured in violence. This information the impact? is anonymised and the data from The Cardiff Model saw the halving hospitals is shared with the police of violence related admissions What’s the story? and local authorities. This information at the Emergency Department at To study violence from a health is then combined with police data to the University Hospital of Wales perspective and prevent it more inform violence prevention strategy between 2002 and 2013. Violent effectively, Professor Shepherd and tactics. Crucially, the city incidents recorded by the police founded the Violence and Society violence prevention board at dropped by 42 percent, compared the centre of the Cardiff Model,

48 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy with cities where the Cardiff Model Since its success in Wales, England street location, which school, which was not in use. Violent incidents in and Scotland, the Cardiff Model park, which licensed premises, licensed premises fell by 39 percent. has also been implemented in cities which weapon was used and times in the United States, Australia, the and date,’ he added. The Cardiff Violence Prevention Netherlands and South Africa. The Board introduced a number first international interest came ‘The second element is the of new measures – all with a from Amsterdam in 2009 and was anonymisation and analysis of that strong evidence base, including followed by enquiries from the information. So it’s not about sharing thorough evaluations carried federal public health agency in the information about individual patients out by the Violence and Society United States and researchers and with local authorities and the police. Research Group. Among them doctors in Atlanta, Philadelphia and was the introduction of toughened, Milwaukee. ‘The third element of the Cardiff polycarbonate drinking glasses – Model is a violence prevention board now a nationwide phenomenon. The Cardiff Model won Cardiff which brings people together from There was also the pedestrianisation University the 2009 Queen’s police, health, local authorities and of Cardiff’s club land streets. Plus the Anniversary Prize, and Professor voluntary sector to turn this unique identification and support of people Shepherd the 2008 Stockholm Prize information into practical prevention injured in domestic violence. There in Criminology and the 2003 Sellin- action.’ was also the deployment of street Glueck Award of the American CCTV cameras to violence hotspots Criminology Society. It’s also been identified from the data, as well as endorsed by the World Health improved alcohol licence regulation, Organisation and presented at the What has been and interventions in city parks and United Nations’ Office for Drugs and Cardiff schools to increase child learned? Crime. Prevention is most definitely better safeguarding. than cure. The underlying strengths As well as improvements to people’s of prevention rely on collecting data In 2008, the Cardiff Model was safety, the Cardiff Model has and then sharing that data with adopted by the UK Government in its substantially reduced the cost of specific bodies brought together new alcohol strategy Safe Sensible violence for health services and in a board which is ambitious and Social. It has also been embraced as it’s also heavily reduced the cost accountable for violence prevention. good practice by the Royal College of violence to the criminal justice of Emergency Medicine. By 2012, system. The Cardiff Model is not about two thirds of UK hospital emergency treating people with an expensive departments and Community Safety Finally, there’s been a marked new drug or a technological piece Partnerships had taken steps to decrease in violence in premises of surgical kit. It’s about sharing adopt this approach. licensed to serve alcohol. information and then acting upon that information. In 2016, the UK government commitment to the Cardiff Model, Professor Shepherd said: ‘That often referred to as Information What have been can be done in a town in a poor Sharing to Tackle Violence (ISTV), country just as much as in a western was reiterated in its Modern Crime the key elements country. I think it’s relevant pretty Prevention strategy. In 2018, this of success? much everywhere, but it’s particularly became part of the new Serious Information sharing between relevant where violence rates are Violence Strategy emergency health services, the high – the model is making the UK police and local authorities proved to a safe place rather than in South In Cardiff, there have been almost be the first step on the road to more American countries, and in African 1,000 fewer hospital admissions effective violence prevention. countries, for example.’ following violence between 2002 Professor Shepherd said: ‘It is a and 2016 and around 65,000 fewer simple process but those are the violence related A&E attendances. best ideas, but it certainly wasn’t obvious before when we discovered Who are the key Professor Shepherd said: ‘As that the police don’t know about a a surgeon myself, clearly that’s whole lot of violence which results in contacts? Professor Jonathan Shepherd, fantastic news as it saves so much emergency treatment. pain and suffering and it’s very costly Director of the Cardiff University Violence Research Board. to deal with 65,000 people who are ‘First it’s collecting information Crime and Security Research injured, especially when most of this in accident and emergency Institute [email protected] happens at nights and weekends departments about precisely where 02920 875 440 when most health services are people are getting injured, which stretched.’

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 49 ‘All the complexity but none of the scale.’ Transforming Guernsey’s Health and Care Services

l Working for 63,000 not l Partnership approach will 65,000,000: the Channel meet future demands on Island conundrum health care posed by ageing and dependent population l Proposals to change landscape of health and care – physically, l An integrated health virtually and financially – and care system is the 19 includes more joined-up way forward services and support to mitigate rising costs

Our reliance on reactive health and user-centred care, fair access to What is care fails to address prevention, care, and clearer boundaries for the context? health promotion or supporting the proportionate governance and self-management of conditions, regulation were vital. As was direct In the Bailiwick of Guernsey people reducing the need and cost of access to services which allows live longer and enjoy healthier lives services. With forecasters predicting for self-referral where appropriate. than their English counterparts. While 46% of all health and care services Effective community care; where there are concerns over cancer, deployed through hospitals by 2027, patients receive improved out-of- obesity, alcohol consumption and, it means we need to act now. hospital care closer to home; plus increasingly, dementia, we know our a way to measure and monitor the current system of healthcare cannot The islands’ government provides impact of interventions on health sustain our ageing population. We all the public services of central and outcomes, patient safety and patient won’t be able to provide the current local government, except for defence experience, were also important. service, the workforce or the finances – and for 63,000 not 65,000,000. To do all this we had to recognise in the future. Why? The majority We have all the complexity but none our partnership’s individual strengths of Guernsey’s population will be of the scale. Advantages include – public, private or voluntary – and dependent, meaning they won’t be having our public sector health ensure patients could access the working or paying taxes. Moreover, and care providers in the same correct provider. And we needed to the Bailiwick of Guernsey is government department. And getting support staff working collaboratively predicted to have one of the highest key people together in the same by focusing on outcomes. dependency ratios of the developed room more easily. First of our principles was the belief world. However, managing this complexity that prevention is better than cure. Over the years, our health and care cost effectively and sustainably To make real and lasting change we services have grown organically and on such a small scale is a real needed to support islanders to live become fragmented. The system challenge. happy and consistently healthy lives. is reactive to demand, access is These principles have now been inconsistent, and there is limited used to develop our model for accountability when patients are What’s the story? health and care. It also means we managed by various health and care need to learn new and innovative The transformation programme’s providers. ways to engage and co-create first phase saw council officers, with our partners and the islands’ Patients are able to access public care providers and professionals, communities. We also require new and private services, but the system charities, volunteers and the ways to approach health and care itself encourages less suitable and community meet together. In a series funding, the design and delivery of more costly treatments. For example, of activities, we examined what a services, while enabling everyone to a patient referred to a specialist ‘good system’ of health and care in live healthy, independent lives. physician in hospital can be better the Bailiwick would represent. placed to see a community based Together, we forged ten key professional closer to home, with principles. We recognised that equal or better outcomes.

50 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy new relationships. There’s a need to design user-centred services Who are the key What have been to promote independence and partners? the key elements reduce demand, and to change The transformation involves public the current culture and mindset sector health and care providers, of success? of service provision. We also public sector bodies involved in So far, it’s the openness and need to support our voluntary funding, current private providers, transparency about the case for and not for profit suppliers to including the islands’ GP practices, change, while addressing the align their services with overall and the private sector partners in problems we face and why we need commissioning goals. our secondary care system. Plus to fix them. It’s also about listening voluntary and third sector suppliers to staff, service users and partners; and community groups. understanding their perspective, aspirations and concerns. Also, Who are the key our early success is based on What has been keeping it simple. Although the contacts? system is complex, with many Mark de Garis, Chief Secretary the impact? thorny problems, the Partnership of the Committee for Health It’s early days, but the proposals of Purpose is relatively simple and and Social Care. have been positively received and easy to explain and visualise. Matt Jones, Senior Operating provide a clear commitment from Officer, Health and Social Care. government. Eddie Pinkard, Director of They have also created a sense What has been Transformation, States of Guernsey: of momentum and expectation, learned? [email protected] with strong support from existing It’s clear there will be challenges. partners and the wider third and We all need to work on trust to forge voluntary sectors.

New models of commissioning and governance Ticket to ride: getting Jersey back on the buses l Almost as many cars as l Wheels in motion: people’: making bus travel St Helier’s incredible viable to motorists 41 percent increase l Profit share contract to keep in bus ridership commissioner and provider l When objectives align on target – the benefits of partnering 20 a social enterprise

issue with congestion, particularly With the current bus operator What is around St Helier in peak time. contract up for renewal, Jersey the context? In 2010, Jersey’s new sustainable began an in-depth procurement transport policy recognised action process to find not just a contractor Jersey is a British Crown was needed, and called for a for their bus service, but a genuine Dependency and the largest of the significant increase in bus ridership, partner. This process led to HCT Channel Islands. With a population of creating the need for a new model. Group winning the contract. In 100,800 and, with 70,429 registered At that time, bus ridership in Jersey – January 2013, Jersey launched the vehicles, it has almost as many cars and across the UK – was in decline, new bus service under the brand as people – as many as there are with the service not viewed as a LibertyBus. adults. This has led to a significant credible alternative to the car.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 51 of target driven contract extensions incredibly successful. Since the bus were included and focussed heavily service was launched in January What’s the story? on performance mid-period to avoid 2013, we’ve seen a 41 percent The States of Jersey had ambitious complacency. increase in passenger ridership, and objectives when they commissioned this has been against a steady UK- their new bus operator to create a Trust is an essential component of wide decline. We’ve also had a 5.1 new public transport network. They any such partnership. It’s one of the percent drop in peak time congestion were looking for a partner to work reasons that HCT Group, a transport in St Helier. with them to grow ridership, reduce social enterprise, was successful subsidy and create a bus network during the tender process. In The levels of subsidy from the States the island could be proud of for addition to competitive pricing has reduced by £800k per year, residents and visitors. Each step they and high quality, it was clear to the on a service with a Peak Vehicle took in the procurement process was commissioners a social enterprise Requirement of approximately 80. in creating such a partnership. was likely to share their values and Customer satisfaction, meanwhile, The States’ commissioners held an objectives. has increased by five percent, five extensive pre-tender consultation, new routes have been introduced with a range of stakeholders and The notion of trust was also and bus frequencies have increased market participants. This was to reinforced contractually – not just on key traffic corridors. gain an insight into what might be through the relatively commonplace possible, but also to ‘set out their use of open book accounting to The service has also gained local stall’ – signalling to the market the calculate profit share, but through and national attention. In 2016, sort of working relationship they were open data. The States of Jersey LibertyBus were winners of the anticipating. maintains a login for the networks Growing Ridership through Good ticketing and performance systems, Practice and Innovation at the Having selected a range of potential so contract performance can be National Transport Awards held in bidders via a Pre-Qualification monitored in real time. London; they were shortlisted for Questionnaire, the tendering process Small Operator of the Year in the and eventual contract applied a Trust was also a factor for the National Route One Awards in 2017 huge array of measures to facilitate broader stakeholders in Jersey. The and, at the 2017 Jersey Customer a successful partnership. The most local community strongly felt the bus Service Awards, won Best Team, significant of these was a profit share service was of low quality and not run Best Business and Best Overall on scheme carefully constructed to align in their interest. The States sought Island. the interests of the commissioner and an operator with a track record in the operator. community engagement, community- The contract has been led design and customer service. straightforward for the States to The contract was let on a minimum This enabled a social enterprise administer – with a partnership very subsidy basis. This limited the operator such as HCT Group to much in place. Significantly, the potential cost to the States and play to their strengths, combining contract is managed by just one allowed the operator to keep the operational excellence with a social transport professional. fare revenue, a powerful operator mission.. incentive to grow ridership. Yet, As the new Bus Services Act in the after a certain level, profits would be UK was being developed, Jersey’s shared with the States, encouraging success in franchising their bus them to take positive, pro-bus steps. Who are the service became the focus of civil The money would also be ring- service and parliamentary attention, fenced for reinvestment in transport key partners? The States of Jersey Department demonstrating that it was possible to infrastructure: building bus stops, for Infrastructure, HCT Group and achieve Transport for London scale reducing car parking and so on. This the HCT Group on-island operation, quality with local scale resources. would then lead to greater operator LibertyBus. What have been the key elements of profits, and to a larger share for the success? States, creating a virtuous circle in which operator and commissioner Taking a sensible amount of time and are incentivised to want the same What has been resource was vital. It was through things. rethinking what was needed from the Further, the contract was also let the impact? We have an outstanding success on ground up and engaging with the over a long period, so the successful our hands. With shared incentives market and other stakeholders, and bidder could invest in new vehicles. and both sides motivated to grow actually listening, which helped us However, to ensure contractor ridership, the service has been prepare the right level of bid detail. motivation throughout, a clear set For the successful tenderer it gave

52 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy and that shared values between enough time to get everything right We were also open to new ideas and commissioner and contractor are key from day one. innovations from the commissioner, to success. understanding that they were By having a commissioning rather commissioning expertise and a new than a procurement process, bus network. it meant it was run with the Who are the overarching strategy uppermost key contacts? in the commissioner’s mind. And What has Stephen Sears, Performance and the mechanics of procurement – Innovation Director, HCT Group designed to deliver outcomes – were been learned? 020 7608 8953 / 07973 263922, not run for the sake of it. That it’s possible to commission [email protected] for the abstract nouns that matter – There was also unity in our purpose. shared values, trust, partnership. Frank Villeneuve-Smith, Our social enterprise shared the Communications Director, values of the organisation. It’s also possible to create a HCT Group sustained partnership by creating 020 7608 8954 / 07891 960084, a system of mutual incentives, [email protected]

Strength in numbers: the Pan London Care Impact Partnership l Unique project bringing l Future potential for together five London boroughs the service to extend to commission therapy services across London for young people at the edge l of care; commissioners only £4.5m+ of social investment, pay if juveniles avoid the care 380+ young people 21 system supported Social Finance established the first partnership, five boroughs – Sutton, What is Social Impact Bond and, since 2012, the project leader, along with Bexley, the context? has been working with young people Merton, Newham and Tower Hamlets Much like the rest of the country, at the edge of care in Essex. Edge – set up the Pan London Care Impact there are significant challenges of care is a term applied to children Partnership. facing young people in London. at risk of separating from their family Issues such as gang violence, unit. In 2017, PLCIP went to market substance misuse and self-harm to procure social investment and affect many parts of the city. In The Social Impact Bond service service providers for Multi Systemic addition, there is a significant has shown positive outcomes in Therapy and Functional Family financial pressure for local terms of young people staying with Therapy. They wanted an investor authorities: the average cost for a their families, with the opportunity to to fund the services up front and be young person in London is estimated explore a similar service in London. paid based on the results of service between £500 to £800 per week. delivery.

This comes at a time when pressure This new structure was innovative What’s the story? as it’s the first Social Impact Bond on Children’s Social Care budgets The Greater London Authority with multiple services for one are limiting the resources available and Social Finance met with cohort. It’s also the first with multiple for new service provision, especially several boroughs in 2014 to test commissioners and can be extended when it’s non-statutory. However, it is their appetite for a Social Impact to incorporate new commissioners. clear to people involved in Children’s Bond that worked to restore family It is also one of the largest Social Social Care that prevention is better connections. During three years of Impact Bonds in the UK. than cure, and so there exists an work to design the programme and appetite to introduce new services. create a joint business case and

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 53 As of February 2018, the service roles through the mobilisation period service providers. The mobilisation providers have their teams up in helping the providers get their period had clear stated governance and running and service delivery respective licenses to deliver the and roles and responsibilities. is in motion. therapy services. What has been Who are the What has been learned? key partners? the impact? Proper transformational work The winning bid came from the The service providers have only just needs parties to work in a Positive Families Partnership. This begun delivering to young people. collaborative manner. It’s also is a new entity set up and managed Over the next three years, their about understanding each other’s by Bridges Fund Management objective is to work with 380+ young perspectives and working to solve and Social Finance. Bridges Fund people at risk of entering the care problems together. Management are providing £4.5m+ system, with the aim of keeping the of social investment to establish majority with their families. Working across multiple the services. geographies, with multiple delivery There are already a number of partners and multiple services, Positive Families Partnership has three organisations that will provide additional London boroughs requires high quality communication. the therapy: interested in joining the PLCIP. There needs to be a real clarity in messaging, and everyone needs Family Action, a large UK charity with The biggest impact so far has to understand why things are done 130+ projects across the country been in the building of partnership in a certain way. Family Psychology Mutual CIC, relationships between previously a new social enterprise spun out unconnected London boroughs. from Cambridgeshire County Council Who are the key South West London and St George’s What have been contacts? Mental Health NHS Trust, which has Lisa Barclay, Social Finance a strong Multi Systemic Therapy the key elements Terry Clark, Sutton Council team in place and already works with Merton and Sutton of success? Mila Lukic, Bridges Fund The key to making this work so far Management In addition, MST UK, MST Inc. and has been a partnership working Brigitte Squire, Director of Positive FFT LLP have also played critical arrangement between the boroughs Families Partnership through PLCIP, and also with the

Energising the future: the Social Impact Bond story

l One in five young people l Social Impact Bonds in UK are out of education, help drive improvements employment and training in youth engagement l Energise scheme produces results and investors’ return 22 ahead of schedule What is to 24 year olds who were not in education, employment or training What’s the story? the context? doubled from ten percent to just In November 2012, the Adviza Much is made of how wonderful it under 20 percent. That’s one in five charity – formerly Connexions is to be young. It’s not so much fun young people disengaged from UK Thames Valley – was awarded a when you’re in the prime of your society. With this knowledge, the contract by the Department for Work life and looking at a future without Department for Work and Pensions and Pensions. The contract was prospects. In the decade between had every reason to try an early through the DWP’s Innovation Fund 2003 and 2013, the number of 18 intervention strategy. and involved a social investment

54 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy partnership managed by Social Bonds, the DWP produced Finance. Social Finance is a nonprofit a rate card of social outcomes What have been organisation that partners with with attached monetary values. government, the social sector and The categories are: the key elements the financial community to find better 1. Improvements at school, such of success? ways of tackling social problems as behaviour and attendance. in the UK and beyond. Maximum payments in the final 2. Qualifications, achieving different stage of Energise were £11,700 per Unlike typical social service delivery, levels of the National Qualifications young person. These were paid on the funding for the Social Impact Framework in vocational observing significant improvements Bond is provided at risk by social or academic qualifications. in behaviour and educational investors whose financial return is 3. Employment, either entry into attainment, making it much more aligned to the positive social impact training or sustained employment. likely that their young people will of meeting pre-agreed educational, continue into work or employment. training and employment outcomes. Service providers selected a range The 3.5 year project was one of ten of outcomes against which they Each type of outcome could only Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) aimed wished to be measured. These be claimed once per participant. at piloting new social investment outcomes were relevant to their Depending on the level of delivery models to support young specific intervention model and performance, the service provider people. The SIBs are designed target population. could also receive a bonus. to increase future employment prospects for teenagers at risk of becoming NEET – Not in Education, Who are the What has been Employment or Training. key partners? learned? Adviza’s project was called Energise. Department for Work and Pensions, Katharine Holder is the Chief It was tailored for 14 to 16 year-olds Adviza, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Executive Officer of Adviza. identified as having poor behaviour, Berkshire Community Foundation, She said: ‘The impact Energise has or who were underperforming at Big Society Capital, Bracknell Forest made on the lives of vulnerable school, or had other complex issues. Homes, Buckinghamshire County young people has been extraordinary The charity was charged with priming Council, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. and this funding model has allowed the futures of 1,500 to 2,000 young us to focus on activities that work people over 3.5 years in the Thames and make a difference. Valley and other areas in south east What has been ‘Our performance demonstrates England. that investing in intensive work the impact? with young people makes a positive Adviza began by assessing their Social Finance announced in difference not only to society as clients’ needs to identify individual July 2015 that the Adviza Social a whole, but also to those individuals action plans. They were given Impact Bond had performed above whose lives it has changed. We ongoing support, work experience expectations. It had delivered are grateful for the opportunity to and mentoring opportunities. There outcomes sufficient to return investor be involved in the Innovation Fund were also activities, including capital earlier than expected. The and thank Social Finance and residential team building weekends maximum of outcome payments our investors for their support, we and group sessions. The programme was £3.7m. couldn’t have done it without them.’ was designed to build resilience, At the conclusion of the project, confidence and aspirations – key 45 percent of participants had a skills for progression. marked improvement in their attitude towards school. Another 41 percent Who are the During the project, it introduced showed improved behaviour. Of key contacts? a Job Coach pathway for young the group, 21 percent had greater Robert Pollock, Social Finance people looking for employment. school attendance. While 43 percent [email protected] They provided support in CV and 17 percent had achieved 020 7667 6370 drafting, attendance at recruitment academic QCF Level 1 and Level 2 fairs, job applications and interviews. qualifications. A further two percent The programme outperformed on had maintained employment for attitude, behaviour, level one and two a 26 week period. educational qualifications and 26 week employment outcomes. As a result, investors received all To commission this and the other of their capital back with a return. Innovation Fund Social Impact

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 55 Cooperative joy gives Plymouth new energy l Good news alert: community l Fuel debt action plan a benefit societies really benefit nd better energy usage the community saves families hundreds l Clean, cheap and renewable of pounds energy is Plymouth Energy l Scheme’s success has Community’s driving ambition led to further community 23 energy gains in Plymouth

collaborated with a range of society has provided free training What is organisations in the quest to change to 48 volunteers and, through this the context? Plymouth’s energy future. This has process, enabled four to complete Back in 2013, more than one in since evolved to include affordable the Level 3 City and Guilds in Energy ten of Plymouth’s households lived or free insulation and boiler schemes, Awareness. in fuel poverty. This meant that if a fuel debt advice service, a home residents’ homes were heated to energy team, a volunteering and The dedicated advice team run by a comfortable temperature, their training programme, and a health volunteers has helped 55 households remaining income would fall below service referral pilot project. save a total of £27,000 from next the official poverty line. This gave year’s energy use. On average, people the difficult choice between The PEC’s primary mission is to give people saved £203 per year by a healthy, heated home and food on the people of Plymouth the power switching and a further £141 through the table. Exacerbating the issue, to transform how they buy, use acting on advice. By providing Plymouth also contends with a and generate power in the city. By information and support at over largely inefficient housing stock. working together as a community 250 events and presentations, the In line with its cooperative ethos, they now have the authority to volunteer advice team has helped Plymouth City Council recognised change their energy future for the another 3,000 households, while that community energy could be better. In essence, it’s all about arranging access grants for external a potential solution to rising fuel people power. wall insulation at 700 homes. poverty and rising carbon emissions. The local authority provided a start- The PEC’s work focuses around three In 2014, alongside the development up loan and grant, got together core energy goals: reducing energy of core frontline services, Plymouth founder members and, after much bills, improving energy efficiency and Energy Community set up PEC community engagement, helped generating a green energy supply in Renewables to fund and build formulate a business plan for a new the city. community owned renewable energy community energy group in the city. installations in the city. Members of the public were invited to buy Who are the community shares with a minimum outlay of £50. Over £600,000 was key partners? raised and, in addition to a £500,000 What’s the story? Plymouth City Council, Plymouth loan from Plymouth City Council, this In July 2013, Plymouth Energy Energy Community, volunteers, the provided 21 schools and community Community was born. With 100 public, plus support from private buildings with free solar panels. founder members, the council energy companies in the way of passed full control to a newly formed community grants. In 2015, a second opportunity was board of volunteer directors, taken given to buy shares and another from backgrounds across the city. A £850,000 raised. This was again unique service level agreement was matched with a £500,0000 loan formed for the council to provide PEC What has been from the city council and another with staffing expertise from their low nine solar roofs were built, including carbon, business, finance, legal and the impact? Plymouth’s largest, which crowns human resources teams. The new community society has Plymouth Life Centre. helped 170 households clear After starting with a simple switching over £115,000 fuel debt through a Towards the end of 2015, Plymouth and advice service, PEC quickly dedicated fuel debt advice service. Energy Community teamed up with began applying for funding and Further, the community benefit a local economic development trust

56 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy to turn derelict land into a solar array. in partnership with Plymouth City The race was on to do this before the Council in Ham, Devonport and St government cut the solar industry’s What has been Budeaux. subsidies. learned? Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This sees homeowners and private In March 2016, the 4.1 megawatt Through working with a number renters receive free home visits ground mounted array in Ernesettle of organisations, Plymouth Energy and energy saving measures such was generating enough clean energy Group has created tools and as LED lighting, draught proofing to meet the annual needs of 1,000 relationships to help the community and heating controls. This is homes. This saw the PEC raise nearly achieve their three energy funded by Intereg’s Climate Active £1m in community shares. goals. By raising awareness and Neighbourhoods programme. These community owned installations understanding of the energy options allow investor members to receive available, the community has the Dave Garland, founder director of a fair return, provide low cost clean knowledge and power to take action. PEC and present PEC Renewables energy and a valuable educational It also pays to be ambitious in solving Chairman, said: ‘We set out to create resource to host organisations. They the associated issues of energy use. a community of like-minded people, also generate a vital community In 2016, the PEC secured finances who are committed to helping benefit fund to ensure longevity for through The Healthy Homes Fund transform all things energy-related for PEC’s core services. from the British Gas Trust. The the benefit of the local community, money was to address the impact and we are doing just that!’ that poor housing can have on What have been health. During the 12 month project, the PEC worked with health providers Who are the key the key elements to target individuals with existing health conditions exacerbated by the contacts? of success? Giles Perritt, Assistant Chief With over 1,200 individual and cold or damp. Executive, Plymouth City Council. organisational members, the [email protected] Plymouth Energy Community In June 2016, the Big Lottery Fund 01725 398 618 has been able to skip lengthy provided £500,000 over four years procurement processes. This has to help people living with disabilities This case study was provided by assisted its work with a range of and illness in Plymouth stay warm our partners at the Co-operative parties. and well. Councils’ Innovation Network – a collaboration between local The support and foresightedness In October 2017, after adding five authorities committed to transforming of Plymouth City Council has been new advisors to PEC’s Energy the way they work with communities, integral to the project’s inception and Team, a new project was launched drawing on co-operative principles. success. The local authority provided www.councils.coop the start-up finance, signposted access to funding streams and sourced founder members and volunteer directors.

The organisation was also responsible for the invaluable provision of staff through an innovative shared services agreement. This meant the PEC was able to launch and then grow at an unprecedented rate for a community energy group.

As a consequence, groups and local authorities all over the country are striving to replicate this successful collaboration.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 57 Epic CIC – going independent to sustain youth services l Established on 1 January 2014, l We were part of the Royal Epic CIC is the UK’s first youth Borough of Kensington and support services mutual Chelsea but with a bleak l We have 150 staff and an funding outlook, we became annual turnover of approx £5m independent in order to maximise our chances of raising funds to support 24 vulnerable young people

in every aspect. For example, our What is governance is wholly different. We What have been the context? have a Board of Directors comprising five elected staff directors and five the key elements We were part of the Royal Borough NEDs recruited from the business of Kensington and Chelsea children’s community. Having staff in position of of success? services department. With the governance in which they can hold Council funding has decreased economic downturn and the onset of managers to account is a radical over time but we have been able to the age of austerity, early intervention change from how things worked in raise significant funds from sources and youth services such as ours our local authority setting. The NEDs previously unavailable to us. We were in the firing line for substantial provide us with expert guidance on run our own independent school cuts. I was challenged by the Chief the business side of the enterprise. funded through schools purchasing Executive of the Council to come places. We have built trading up with a new model for maintaining relationships with schools providing youth support services with a lot less careers advice, sports and health money available. Who are the key services. We trade directly with the partners? public with the profit reinvested in The Royal Borough remains a key services. We have become adept partner and supporter. We have at selling our services. We can also What’s the story? developed strong partnerships access charitable funds previously The key to sustainability was with schools, the CCG and local unavailable to us. Through this finding new ways to attract income community providers. range of methods, we are bringing previously untapped. We considered in £800k-£1m of additional income a number of options for raising funds per year. externally before alighting on the We have been able to cut backroom most radical of all, spinning out from What has been costs significantly by going to the Council to form an independent the market. We do not carry the CIC. It was apparent that our ability the impact? Independent Impact study – 85% substantial overheads intrinsic to diversify funding streams was YP in target group progress to EET; to a local authority service. seriously hampered by our remaining 200,000 hours of youth support to in a local authority setting. Despite very challenging market almost 4000 YP per annum; £2.24 conditions, we have made a profit in social value created for every pound We joined the first tranche of each of our four years of existence invested in NEET programmes; the Cabinet Office Public Sector which is returned to frontline £3.59/£1.00 social value created in Mutuals programme which provided services. It’s not getting any easier serious youth violence programmes. invaluable support. It gave us access though, with early intervention to legal and technical support, services and youth services under We have developed a service that is mentoring and to social business relentless pressure. not only able to show impact but is transition expertise. also cost effective and offers better We have worked hard to develop an value for money. We have used our employee culture based on giving We were keen to avoid simply contract with the Royal Borough as autonomy to staff within parameters applying a new name to the same a platform to diversify our funding and encouraging and independence old, same old. Hence, we have set streams (see next section). in thought and action. The role of about reforming the organisation

58 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy management in this scenario is to organisation with strong community We have proved it is possible to set the parameters and to guide and roots and we continue to be part of establish a cost effective, dynamic coach. This philosophy is based the Grenfell recovery programme. organisation through combining on the writings of leading thinkers a social value perspective with in the field of staff culture, Dan Pink a commercial underpinning. This and Henry Stewart. It really works What has been demonstrates you can create and we would not have been able to impactful, value for money services introduce this style of working had learned? via a business transformation we remained in the local authority. Moving to a new company form and process without the need to default developing a new business model to outsourcing or competitive This cultural shift was apparent in the is a challenge and requires tendering. manner in which Epic staff responded everyone to grow and adapt to the Grenfell disaster. Staff did not rapidly. This is daunting, but with wait to be briefed or told what to do. the right support it can be done. They knew intuitively how to respond. Who are the key It’s a big leap from the command In the early hours of the morning of and control environment of a local the disaster, staff rushed to work contacts? authority which breeds passivity, Brendan O’Keefe, Managing to open centres in order to support to a social enterprise environment Director EPIC CIC, survivors and to receive donations which requires innovation and self- brendan.o’[email protected] of clothing and food. We are an motivation for success. 07976 060 343

The rise of Cleveland, USA’s green cooperatives

l Cooperatives using anchor l Funds from successful institutions’ supply network cooperatives go into to effect change developing new businesses l Environmental policy entwined with business development 25 ensures tax breaks minimum wage and can take a nonprofit which designed the project. What is financial stake in their companies. The model uses what Rose calls an import substitution strategy. Anchor the context? institutions spend a large amount Cleveland is harnessing the of money on procurement, some of spending power of its institutions What’s the story? which can be redirected to create There are three Evergreen by launching new cooperatives new cooperatives in the area: the Cooperatives so far, each employing that are creating employment Evergreen Cooperative Laundry around 120 workers from Cleveland’s and wealth in poorer areas cleans several tons of the health care low-income University Circle area. and supporting ex-offenders. sector’s linen each year. The city has three environmentally Many of the employees have convictions which bar them from sustainable cooperatives whose The Cleveland Foundation, a private other jobs. role is to act as suppliers to anchor charitable trust, took the cooperative institutions such as local universities lead by encouraging the city’s key ‘The question was: What can we and hospitals. There’s hope this anchor institutions – the Cleveland do for those community members business model will go on to spur Clinic, Case Western Reserve that can’t work directly for anchor a breakthrough in Cleveland, University and the University Hospitals institutions, but could work for which has struggled in recent – to buy into the vision, and the City suppliers to those institutions?’ years with depopulation and of Cleveland local authority quickly said Jessica Rose, the Director of economic stagnation. joined the scheme, pooling its Employee Ownership Programs at resources in a multi-stakeholder effort. Further, the coop employees in this the Democracy Collaborative, the Ohio city earn well above the region’s

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 59 The project was designed by the nonprofit Democracy Collaborative, Who are the key with support from private charitable What has been partners? trust the Cleveland Foundation and learned? The Evergreen Cooperative the City of Cleveland. The model is ‘Once these companies are Corporation, The Democracy being repeated in Rochester, west launched, it all comes down to Collaborative, Cleveland Foundation, New York, with Mayor Lovely Warren competing in the market, being City of Cleveland local authority, providing the impetus to begin smart and savvy and doing a good University Hospitals Cleveland. building cooperatives. However, job running a business,’ said Rose. Rose points out, New Orleans and ‘They must deliver on cost, quality Atlanta have ‘not yet been successful and service.’ What has been in persuading the anchor institutions to sponsor new businesses through The Evergreen Cooperative the impact? their sourcing,’ which she attributes Corporation was created as the The Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, to their lack of an effective champion. cooperatives’ parent company, the first to launch in 2009, achieved owning a stake in the three coops a ten percent profit margin in 2016, and overseeing the development with its coop owners receiving What have been of new businesses. They are aiming bonuses of up to $4,000. Ten of the to launch more cooperatives in the laundry’s employees have been the key elements near future. in prison, while 20 have a criminal record. of success? The reality of building a new Between 2008 and 2013, around cooperative initiative like Cleveland’s $27m was invested in the Evergreen Energy Solutions, an is that businesses take time to grow. cooperatives from a variety of efficient energy contractor was The scheme was inspired partly by sources, including foundations, launched soon afterwards and is the Basque region’s Mondgragon local and federal government, also profitable. Green City Growers, Corporation, which was founded in and nonprofits. This was due to the largest urban food production the town of Mondragon, in the 1950s, the capital intensive nature of the facility in the United States, was set by the graduates of a local technical Evergreen Cooperative businesses. up in 2013 and broke even last year. college. Most of the funds are invested and Through small instalments over a then are ploughed into new ventures. period of years, workers get to earn The modern Cleveland model is now a stake in the company amounting to being used or considered in various As well as having the funds, it was $3,000. cities, including Rochester in New vital to have the supportive web of York, as well as Preston in England, institutions, plus one organisation In 2016, employees of the three who have both suffered historically which was determined to take the coops earned $12.56 an hour from under investment. lead role. on average, well above the Ohio minimum wage of $8.15. They also In the long term, it is hoped the ‘One of the hardest things about have a say in how the cooperative model can awaken the economic this model is bringing all the players operates, which includes electing the potential of cities’ poorest areas and to the table,’ said Rose. ‘The board and holding monthly member empower residents who are most in institutions, the city, the philanthropy, meetings with the management. need. the community; those are sectors that don’t often collaborate, they All three cooperatives are also are siloed in a lot of cases.’ environmentally sustainable. They Who are the key use green technologies to reduce In order to mobilise these their carbon footprint, and this stakeholders, a public or private contacts? also saves the businesses money. Chief Financial Officer sector project champion is usually Jessica Rose, Companies can buy solar power & Director of Employee Ownership required to spearhead the venture. from Evergreen Energy Solutions Programs at The Democracy In Cleveland, the foundation took and be eligible for tax credits. The Collaborative in Cleveland, Ohio. the lead on bringing the various Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, players together. Most had typically [email protected] meanwhile, operates the region’s been competitors. www.democracycollaborative.org first LEED – Leadership in Energy www.evgoh.com and Environmental Design ‘Gold’ www.clevelandfoundation.org commercial facility. This case study was prepared by our partners at apolitical – see separate listing for more information and to join their exciting network.

60 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Solving care’s workforce shortages via prospects and qualifications – CASA group

l Apprenticeships scheme l Future service demand improves staff retention in can be eased through adult social care innovation l Career pathways keep staff 26 skilled and motivated

put it at 38 percent in its 2017 state What is of the care sector report. As a result, care providers across the UK are What’s the story? the context? In 2015, the CASA board decided to having to recruit new staff at a rapid Health and social care services address the company’s challenging rate to plug the widening gap. CASA, are under enormous pressure. The recruitment and retention issues. It founded in 2004, is one of the largest demand for community adult health created the CASA Academy to focus employee-owned care providers. It and social care has never been on building the workforce. To date, supplies 22,000 hours of domiciliary greater. As our population ages the company has more than 800 care each week from its branches and lives longer, the need will only employees and an annual turnover in Newcastle, North Tyneside, increase. Yet at this critical moment, of approximately £17m. the UK’s labour market for social Doncaster, Leeds, Manchester, Knowsley and Liverpool. And yet care has slipped into crisis. Under the auspices of the academy, it’s not immune from the vagaries of the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Adult the market. Across the UK the social In February, the National Audit Office Social Care was established as care workforce needs stabilising. But revealed the numbers working in the minimum standard for staff. All how can that be achieved? care were not meeting growing eligible recruits are now enrolled onto demand. And there was more bad the apprenticeship from day one In a sector with a fragmented and news to come. of their employment, while existing competitive provider base, the employees without the minimum workforce is sensitive to the tiniest ‘While many people working in care qualification have joined as time and differentials. Job hopping between find it rewarding,’ said the report, operational budgets allow. From care providers, and job switching ‘there is widespread agreement that this foundation staff then join CASA across sectors is commonplace. workers feel undervalued, and there Directions, the company’s career Often it’s prompted by small are limited opportunities for career development programme. differences in pay and conditions. In progression, particularly compared At the outset these were bold with similar roles in health. In 2016- community-based domiciliary care, many carers walk between their care ambitions. CASA was aware that it 17, around half of care workers were needed strong, flexible and forward- paid £7.50 per hour or below.’ This visits or calls, so even changes in the weather can affect recruitment and thinking training partners to achieve was equivalent to £14,625 annually, its goals. a fraction above the then National retention. Living Wage of £7.20 per hour. Social care is also afflicted by poor Paul Mooney, the CASA Academy Director, said: ‘Previously our ‘This, along with tough working opportunity in career and wage progression. Nursing has recognised apprenticeships programme had conditions and a poor image, been delivered at arm’s length prevents workers from joining and entry points, career milestones and reward structures – social care by third party training providers, remaining in the sector. The turnover with very little involvement from rate of care staff has been increasing does not. It doesn’t even have a recognised professional pathway. our local branch managers. For since 2012-13 and in 2016-17 our new approach we needed a reached 27.8 percent. The vacancy And, apart from the recently introduced Care Certificate, which training partner who bought into rate in 2016-17 for jobs across social our vision and could help us grow care was 6.6 percent, which was well establishes baseline competencies for new recruits, the Care Quality into a true learning organisation, above the national average of 2.5 and professionalise our workforce percent to 2.7 percent.’ Commission doesn’t routinely regulate training or qualifications, through new and effective models Staff turnover rates in domiciliary of training delivery.’ care are even higher – Skills for Care with social care providers.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 61 At first, CASA cast the partnership for employees’ progress on the find work. She was initially referred net widely, courting FE colleges and apprenticeship programme. This is to an employability course run by large independent training providers. linked to staff turnover, and the early Big Life Employment, one of The In late 2016, CASA was approached signs show that new recruits enrolled Growth Company’s subcontractors. by The Growth Company, an onto the apprenticeship are less The course is for people who want established training provider, who likely to leave. to explore social care as a long- recognised its rising profile as one term employment option. Sarah of the UK’s largest employee-owned Paul Mooney adds: ‘We had to re- had not delivered care in a formal care cooperatives. design our recruitment, onboarding capacity, but had lots of experience and induction processes to meet in providing care for her children and As a national non-profit with the exacting requirements of the other family members. social values, and a track record apprenticeship and OFSTED, but it’s for delivering skills, training and been worth it. Not only are we seeing The week-long Big Life Employment bespoke employment support, The improvements in retention, but the course acted as a feeder for Growth Company proved a natural quality of care is improving and we CASA’s own accredited Preparing fit. Working closely, CASA and The are much more confident that home for Adult Social Care course. The Growth Company’s training teams care is being delivered safely in our two programmes were codesigned stripped down and rebuilt the care service users’ homes.’ by CASA and BLE training teams. apprenticeship to fit the specific The CASA element, which included needs of a busy domiciliary care The collaboration has resulted in work shadowing, was delivered at provider. other spinoff benefits. Functional CASA Manchester’s branch office in Skills Training – a prerequisite of the Wythenshawe. On completion, Sarah Jack McDougall, Health and apprenticeship – is now delivered passed her Care Assistant interview Social Care Sector Manager by a CASA in-house trainer and and started work in Manchester. for The Growth Company, was incorporates real life domiciliary care instrumental in the partnership. situations, such as administering Sarah is now progressing well on the He said: ‘The government’s medication. Level 2 apprenticeship with CASA apprenticeship reforms in 2017 and is being put forward by The gave us an opportunity to codesign Growth Company for the Greater with CASA an apprenticeship What have been Manchester Apprenticeship Awards. that is tightly wrapped around the Sarah is already looking forward to company’s operational needs. the key elements progressing on to the Level 3 Health Delivering apprenticeships in the and Social Care apprenticeship. domiciliary care setting is particularly of success? challenging as the workforce is As a social business, CASA’s aim predominantly out in the community. is to have a positive social impact What has been Our approach was to establish on the communities it serves. strong relationships with CASA’s The partnership with The Growth learned? local managers and care co- Company has provided the reach There remain numerous and ordinators. This was to ensure that into communities, groups and significant challenges. There are group learning and assessment organisations that it would otherwise not enough young people, men sessions are scheduled to keep have been unable to achieve. or Black Asian Minority Ethnic learners engaged so that they don’t people working in adult social fall behind.’ The Growth Company has been care. While the impact of Brexit instrumental in developing on the labour market is set to successful pre-employment disproportionately affect the sector. Who are the programmes. These engage with The government’s Apprenticeship the most disadvantaged groups, in Levy, which provides a platform for key partners? the very communities where CASA’s employers like CASA to get more CASA, The Growth Company, the home care is delivered. CASA involved in the design and delivery health and social care workforce, has also pioneered traineeships of apprenticeships, is still a work in local authorities. for long term unemployed young progress. people as an access route to the apprenticeship programme. However, for companies like What has been CASA, whose own levy pot is not Among their success stories is Sarah sufficiently large to meet the full the impact? Jones. Sarah had not worked for needs of its workforce, the new CASA local branches now have more than 20 years having looked ESFA rules for the transfer of Key Performance Indicators after her family and without any unspent levy between companies qualifications was struggling to is a welcome development. The

62 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy

Growth Company is already helping employers successfully navigate the Levy system. CASA will benefit Who are the from this expertise to access levy key partners? gifting from larger employers. It CASA, The Growth Company, the creates a real opportunity for CASA health and social care workforce, to tackle the skills challenge facing local authorities. the sector.

Transforming service delivery

Rethinking planning in Wolverhampton

l Improving the experience for l Rethinking Planning has applicants and investors while made the planning process creating jobs and making three times faster, with most Wolverhampton a better city applications resolved in 30 days, effecting a huge drop in complaints and far 27 fewer appeals Stephen Alexander, Head of City Planning, City of Wolverhampton Council

What is Who are the What has been the context? Government cuts to local key partners? the impact? On the back of our success, we Improved performance in the form authority funding has left planning have worked with the Planning departments’ customers facing of reduced end-to-end times, less Advisory Service (PAS) and engaged refusals and appeals, and further bureaucracy and delay with their with other local authorities to planning applications. improved reputation with our enhance their performance. These customers – all resulting in better interventions see planning officers quality development and increased from Wolverhampton spend up to delivery. What’s the story? five days helping fellow planners The Rethinking Planning approach challenge existing practice and To date, the feedback to the has four core elements: create new ways of working. The interventions and support has been 1. Challenging the traditional thinking authorities that have benefitted very positive: behind approaches to planning. include Halton, Cheshire and Cheshire West, Doncaster, Trafford, 2. Redefining the purpose of ‘Make the time and resources planning from the customer’s Canterbury, Croydon, Haringey, available. Working in this way takes perspective. Bromsgrove and Redditch, Devon, time and it is hard to take time out Dorset, Gloucestershire and Sefton. from the day job to look at a system, 3. Changing how planning is Our work has also been studied by delivered, and even if the perception is that it’s officers from a further 30 councils, working quite well. But it takes time 4. Creating or ‘building-in’ true including: Cornwall, Bournemouth, to understand your processes.’ continuous improvement and South Staffordshire, Walsall, Dudley, (Tim, Halton) making it part of planning protocol; Herefordshire, Birmingham, Stratford, instead of launching reactive Nottingham, Bury, Telford and ‘Go for it and go into it with an open problem-solving projects every Monmouthshire. mind.’ (Richard, Doncaster) 18 months.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 63 ‘Listen to your customers, to what customers want and concentrating on was on streamlining the activity. really matters to them. And don’t be getting it right first time.’ afraid of failure because you can’t Once each case was completed they learn without experimenting, and if you rigorously analysed the experiment are experimenting some things won’t to understand how it worked and work, but as long as you learn and What have been how they could improve on the next move on you’re always progressing, application. By examining real work, and that’s what continuous change and the key elements improvement is about.’ (Nick, Cheshire in a safe experimental environment, West and Chester) of success? the organisation learned empirically We focused on providing good how to achieve purpose and improve Staff from councils we have worked with customer service and fulfilling our efficiency. This learning was then have also commented: planning role. The subsequent translated into a robust system ‘Case officers now feel it is their system… increase in development benefited redesign. they own it… and take opportunities to the public. We also adopted a set change it.’ of principles to guide our way of When this new design is stable, ‘…put good staff in a rubbish system, working and tools to measure our work volumes can slowly be the system wins every time… put true success. These were in-line with increased – adding capacity to the practitioners in charge of changing the our purpose, and, significantly, not team, as required – until operators system… and empower them to make our targets. can handle current demand. sure the system works for them and the customer.’ This process was challenging and ‘We don’t see it as a one-off project… What has been incredibly hard work, but, ultimately or a change management project… it’s it was incredibly simple to employ more fundamental. It is a mindset and a learned? for those able to unlearn current way of operating.’ Changing our approach meant we design and management practice ‘Overall it is speeding things up… could do things better – previously in local authority planning. every step is assessed for the value it is Wolverhampton planners had giving rather than being needed for any committed to doing better things. bureaucratic purpose.’ There is a huge difference between What has been ‘Customers are pleased… getting the two. We started from scratch by decisions so quickly… Officers decide clearly stating the purpose of our learned? ‘is it going to give the customer a better new system and then designing Stephen Alexander, experience?’’ a ‘zero waste’ workflow. To begin, 01902 555610, 07771 836400, ‘…there’s an assumption it’s difficult and we had managers and officers Stephen.Alexander@wolverhampton. needs lots of money… you can free up undertake and complete a real gov.uk so much time by doing only what your planning application. Their onus

CATERed – finding the recipe for successful co-operative working l Joined up approach ensuring l Pooled budgets – bigger every child no matter what helping small school they attend can access l the same quality lunch time Catering service run by provision passionate individuals who understand the industry

28 those for school food. As a centrally This was before the school food plan What is provided service to schools by the and the introduction of universal the context? council, schools were unaware of infant free school meals. Central government direction to the true costs of delivery, and had Disparity in budget allocation, based simplify allocation of funds to school no real buy-in to increasing take-up on levels of deprivation and numbers under school funding reform in because any losses were covered by of pupils eligible for free school 2012/13 forced councils to pass the council. meals, led to schools of similar all budgets to schools including

64 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy size receiving significantly different back key back-office services from infants free school meals funding amounts, which meant that the council returning revenue to l Equipment maintenance, repair many would find it impossible to the council with these costs now and replacement deliver the statutory school food calculated on a commercial basis. l Income from paid for meals services (both free and paid for) to This has given the council as a whole meet the mandatory school food the ability to see itself differently, The work to create the company standards without directly impacting understanding the true worth of took over two years of planning and other school budgets specifically for individual services and that they has come about through the work the education and learning of pupils. must became more commercial in of a school food steering group Schools joining together and their approach. comprising headteachers, governors, cooperatively sharing the school food school business managers, and budget resource means all children CATERed has been able to look to council officers. Schools were clear: have access to freshly prepared, hot other places for revenue. As a limited they wanted a service that had the school food, with local, regional and company it has now re-entered child at the centre of everything it did seasonal ingredients by fully trained the world of event catering and and to make food fun. staff in the schools own on-site corporate buffets, an area previously production kitchen. lost to ‘cuts’ and a directive to focus In an echo of the school food plan, on core ‘school dinners’. the principles around which the company Articles have also been What’s the story? Member schools access very high written are: – On 1 April 2015, staff from the quality catering at a fraction of what 1. Children need to be involved in council’s award-winning education they were being charged by other shaping the offer catering service became employed companies and they are effectively 2. Building on strengths by CATERed Limited. recycling their own cash flow. The 3. Collaboration and cooperative council also benefits from a highly model values The company is limited by shares professional team of caterers who and jointly owned by schools they know and trust. 4. Vision for a longer term and the council. A co-operative sustainable city-wide offer trading company, all surpluses CATERed was created to ensure are reinvested to be used for that all children and young people CATERed is unique – for the first the ongoing development of the in schools across the city could time, schools have agreed to share company, management of the estate access great tasting, high quality their budgets and resources with and services to children and young food regardless of their background each other in an open, transparent, people. or school they attend. It delivers and co-operative way for the benefit because it ensures all schools have of children and young people. Reducing the strain on the budgets an affordable and sustainable school Imagine – 67 Head teachers and of the council and ensuring that the food service without impacting on governing bodies all voting for the pupils of Plymouths schools have other school budgets. same thing at the same time? Now had an amazing high quality meal that’s tasty! served by a workforce committed Importantly, the service to customers to producing only the very best is delivered by people best placed customer experience. to do that – experts in school food What has been delivery. The board, which makes decisions the impact? on behalf of all schools shareholders, 51% is Council-owned and 49% is The initiative between schools and consists of eight headteachers, two school-owned comprising 62 infant, Plymouth City Council – CATERed council officers, and a managing junior or primary schools, four special Limited – is a very real and new director. The venture has only schools, and one secondary school way of delivering a central, core been made possible because of – including both maintained schools service to children and young the cooperative approach that is and academies. people in schools. Within budget, heralded throughout Plymouth City within the standards and mandatory Council. These core values of the The company operates using requirements, maintaining staff council have enabled the business to schools’ budgets which they commit levels, terms and conditions without work with the schools to achieve the in an entirely altruistic, shared, and ‘traditional’ outsourcing. creation of a truly unique company. co-operative manner to support each other for the greater good. CATERed carries the support of The company’s main office remains schools, staff, customers and trade within council buildings, providing The budgets used are: unions in a truly cooperative model of the link across different departments, l Traditional benefit-based free delivery. and the company has bought school meals and the universal Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 65 Feeding Ambitions – CATERed cares deployment of our staff and l Not everything you did before – a name people can rely on. reviewing all aspects of the business needs to be changed we have ensured we have made l Creating a strong brand and dramatic improvements in the trading ensuring buying from your account. The elements customers is key to success of success Meals served have increased What has been significantly over the past three Who are the key years and this was first witnessed learned? contacts? l Open dialogue is key to having as schools became more aware of Brad Pearce – Managing Director, a successful partnership their responsibilities during the work CATERed Limited, 07450282949 of the school food steering group. l When you step into the [email protected] We now serve 2.5 million meals each commercial world, be ready to be – Commercial academic year – an increase of a questioned about every decision Anne-Marie Sowden Operations Manager, CATERed million meals! l To create growth, make sure that Limited, 07810757695, all key groups are well informed [email protected] Increased economies of scale and really understand the through volume have reduced our companies vision – staff, schools, This case study was provided by costs whilst we continue to serve only suppliers and council. our partners at the Co-operative the very best in local and seasonal Councils’ Innovation Network – l When you free up bureaucracy produce. Our local, regional and a collaboration between local and many layers of processes sustainable procurement means authorities committed to transforming you end up with a dynamitic we have clear, mutually beneficial the way they work with communities, workforce where ideas can come partnerships with suppliers delivering drawing on co-operative principles. stable food costs. Through the from anywhere and the people that work for the company feel www.councils.coop a real sense of connection

When only humans can solve human problems – housing allocations in Great Yarmouth

l A standard approach to social l Centrally implemented housing creates waste, poor system and reliance on IT outcomes and increases is no guarantee of a good demand system l Demand to go on the waiting l Transformation in the 29 list is often solved by other public sector requires us means – not by providing to challenge our current housing ideas & concepts

ever-expanding waiting lists as a The first issue came straight after What is national crisis. In addition, austerity is the applicant’s initial enquiry, this the context? taking its toll on managers attempting was because most further contact The housing allocations manager to stop cutting services. from the authority was done by was concerned at rising demands letter. Getting on a waiting list took on the choice-based lettings months as each application involved workflow. With more applicants What’s the story? logging, processing and filing across than properties, they witnessed an The manager and a team of front three IT systems. Kim Tugwell, a increase in customers’ frustration. line staff got together to look at Home Select caseworker, explained The government describes this understanding the workflow as that spending all day processing current issue of limited stock and experienced by the service users. application forms felt ‘like being on 66 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy a treadmill never getting anywhere’. would have secured Ivy a silver band The system created further anguish classification and allowed her to It is possible the government’s so- as nearly ten percent of applicants bid online. However, one-bedroom called ‘housing crisis’ isn’t as bad as appealed against their banding. bungalows are rare generally and it appears. Examination of the system scarce in her chosen location. The suggests there are a number of For the team, the deeper learning team considered it unlikely that she solutions to each applicant’s enquiry, then followed: would be housed adequately and and that a successful outcome would remain on the list indefinitely. relies on knowledge of the service user. When staff are free to speak It took a great deal of debate among to applicants and understand their The folly the team about how to proceed issues progress is made. and another three phone calls to of banding Ivy to understand how the service The application forms and the The first major learning point was could help. As the team asked her multiple and expensive IT systems that priority banding did not mean more questions, they learned Ivy that stopped people listening and applicants would be housed any loved where she lived, but could not understanding have now gone at quicker. It took on average 30 afford a gardener to maintain her Great Yarmouth Borough Council. months to be housed. garden. Her mobility was gradually They ended the Choice Based being reduced over time. Her real Lettings scheme that drove so The gold banding meant the wait need was help with her garden and much failure and cost into a system was on average 675 days, silver to stay in her home, so the team that frustrated both clients and banding meant 750 days and bronze arranged for a voluntary group to do employees. banding meant 655 days. the gardening. This allowed Ivy to continue in the same property where Freeing staff to understand and she was happy. become creative in solving problems released huge energy and creativity. Housing need It turned housing officers from paper The first major learniThe next thing shufflers back into human beings. that astonished the team was when It’s only people, not IT, who have the they spoke to people on the waiting Solving people’s ability to absorb the huge range of list. The majority were not in need problems and demand that is presented in human of housing (56%) and could be service systems. removed from the list. Two thirds of embracing a all those contacted had out-of-date Over time, the waiting list at Great records. flexible approach The workflow’s failing started with the Yarmouth dropped from 6,000 in assumption all service users wanted 2010 to 309 in 2015. The council’s Another discovery was made a house. Home Select team now has a new observing the choice-based lettings purpose expressed in customer process. Across 105 properties When the team began to ask service terms: ‘Help me solve my housing advertised, 2,600 bids were users questions, they found many problem.’ received. It became clear users had people who made contact were little choice or control, just the illusion suitably housed – but had a housing Bridget Southey, Home Select of control. The reality was that most related problem. The application Manager, said her job is now had no hope of being housed in the form and system design ensured that much more satisfying: ‘It’s now short term. people making contact rarely spoke about getting out there, building to a human being. Previously, 100 relationships and understanding percent of demand was translated people.’ as: ‘give me a house.’ This meant Understanding all applications were turned into real need demand for a house, when in reality The next discovery emerged that applied to just 15 percent. Who are the gradually. It is a lesson about Of itself, high housing need does closely understanding customer not always require a social housing key partners? Housing allocations and demand. One housing applicant, solution. Often enquiries involve homelessness, financial advice, Ivy, made contact during the team’s wanting help with a deposit to benefits advice, social care, observations. Ivy wanted to move access private accommodation antisocial behaviour, and the to a one-bedroom bungalow. Her or solving a dispute with a private community. application included a medical form landlord. guaranteeing a higher banding. This

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 67 What has been the impact? From To Waiting list 6000 309 Demand satisfied 30% 80% Failure demand 63% 3% Appeals 27/ month 1/ year Staff numbers 22 15 Social impact encourage encourage dependency independency

The team realised the application form was unable to understand people’s real problems. It was only human beings who could deal with the variety of demand presented by service users.

The elements What has been Implications for of success learned? other Councils? l The manager and the staff The biggest discovery was seeing Transformation like this case study viewing their current work from how the service had been designed is not recommended for every the service users’ perspective. to ration properties, and make organisation. Each council can l Designing a system that dealt with people do awkward activities to examine its own services – and their the variety of presented situations. prove how in need they were for impact on those in need, then decide housing. This was in order to protect themselves how far they want to go l Understanding each service the system from a public who would in re-designing their services. In user’s real needs. be devious enough to exaggerate Yarmouth’s’ case, they decided to l Actively transforming the to get a property. The application change every part of the service and workflow, challenging and form was the perfect embodiment remove CBL. That may not be the removing waste. of this thinking: a long document right solution for your organisation. l The increase in effective that asked questions designed to outcomes improves people’s lives sift out lies, with little or no relevance and impacts positively upon the to the customer’s original problem. public sector as a whole. In fact, the application form acted Who are the key l Decision-making is delegated like a very basic front-end; it was unresponsive and bureaucratic. The contacts? to staff. , service designer, real finding is that people told the John Mortimer l The emergence of motivation truth and generally wanted help to [email protected], 07772 and enthusiasm within staff. solve a problem. The logic following 285982 that realisation led to a dramatic Kate Watts, Director, Great Yarmouth reorientation of the staff’s mindset. Borough Council, [email protected]

68 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Public health and children’s services integrated working – Coventry City Council

Coventry City Council is a UK above. Their role was to envision how pioneer of integrated working in the new service would function. We A testimonial health28 and social care. In 2014, supported the teams piloting their the authority’s public health team new service prototypes, and gave and two quotes began testing new models of care the delegates team coaching and Testimonial from for children and their families. development, change management Christina Walding: They had recognised that when a skills training, action learning and person or family receives care from reflective learning. ‘From the outset, RedQuadrant were multiple professionals, from different alongside us in a pragmatic and flexible organisations, treatment becomes Eventually, this programme of work way. This was really important to us fragmented, leading to delays in dovetailed into a reorganisation as the programme experienced many support and people being lost in the within Children’s Services a challenge along the way, which means system. at Coventry. The concept of we had to rethink our approach. The integrated working was fed into tools, techniques and coaching skills they Coventry began with a programme the delivery model for Early Help brought were fantastic. They supported of work called Acting Early. It saw services and saw the launch of the our teams on the ground – who were the council’s children’s services multidisciplinary Family Hub model experiencing a vast amount of change professionals integrate with NHS Coventry-wide in late 2017. from month to month – with a range of health visitors and midwives and staff interventions. The RedQuadrant team from voluntary agencies. Their remit RedQuadrant provided further team has provided invaluable support to our was to provide early intervention and coaching, change management skills Early Help managers and teams as they support to children aged from birth training and leadership development have begun to work in more integrated to five, and their families, to prevent to all eight Family Hub teams. ways. They helped work on their vision, them from having greater, more set of priorities for Family Hubs, and complex needs in the future. Some of the comments given about the local service offering for their area the workforce development sessions of Coventry. RedQuadrant helped us to In 2015, Coventry began supported by RedQuadrant: build the scaffolding around these new teams as they came together in new roles piloting integrated teams for l They help us network secondary school children and with new colleagues.’ l They help us challenge our way of their families. It was at this stage doing things RedQuadrant was appointed, after Quote from a Family Hub a competitive tender, to assist these l I have solid examples of where team leader: multidisciplinary teams. progress and impacts have ‘Although we are a small team the event been made as a result of these has helped to energize everyone, and the The pilot involved several meetings team feels positive and enthusiastic about organisations: school nursing, l It helps prevent things getting the future. We have booked fortnightly primary mental health service, youth more serious team meetings to address the building of and creation of a new identity. Please services, police, children’s social l We have built relationship with do share my comments with Christina. care and a range of voluntary sector new agencies (e.g. VAC) agencies, such as mind, Citizens We’re taking your suggestions on board l We are better informed Advice, Compass, Relate, and and really starting to gel as a team. Barnardo’s. the model of care was l It’s good for children’s social As a newbie to the area, I feel very lucky developed and tested in Coventry’s care to hear and work closer with to have such a great team who are very north east using four secondary schools committed to the work and also have schools. l We’ve put in extra sessions in a great sense of humour!’ schools as a result of meeting RedQuadrant assisted in the colleagues here design and hosting of co-creation l These meetings help us conferences. This involved the get clearer with strategic representatives and citizens listed communications

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 69 Quote from an Early Help Manager: ‘Working with Debbie and Lynne has been very supportive and encouraging. They Who are the key joined us at a critical point in our transition and provided extra capacity, enthusiasm, expertise and humour when we needed it most. They were dedicated to helping us contacts? to bring teams together around a shared purpose and vision in order to improve Christina Walding, Programme outcomes for children and families. Both are highly skilled and experienced, but they Manager for Public Health, also demonstrate the attitude of continuous learning and improvement and were Coventry City Council excellent role models to practitioners, leaders and managers in tenacity, flexibility and [email protected] perseverance!’ Debbie Jones, leader and team effectiveness lead, RedQuadrant [email protected]

Announcing the launch of http://govtransformation.org

A website for all case This is an open access, Creative Commons- licensed site with the goal of crowd-sourcing links studies and methods and content to cover all useful public service for public service transformation case studies and methods. transformation, from This simple WordPress site can easily provide the Public Service cross-links to existing content, from partners like Transformation TLAP, apolitical, CCIN and the many others who Academy, sponsored have contributed to the state of transformation process, and can contain rich text openly and maintained by accessible new content. RedQuadrant. You contribute content and links – just go to the site and click ‘register’. Email contributing editor, Clive Gilbert at [email protected] with any questions.

70 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy Innovation, data, and technology

Big data traffic pilot in motion in Philippines

l Congestion in capital of l Eight kilometre stretch Philippines costs economy of road costs motorists £47m every day two hours of total l Taxi firms’ data aims to inform commute time government and business how 29 to solve congestion

the transport department has been What is using data to collect travel time What’s the story? information.’ the context? Traditional methods for collecting Across the world, congestion on the traffic data – using human monitors In the Philippines, the World Bank roads hits economies hard in lost who conduct expensive and time- has brought together the region’s time and earnings. consuming field work – are both leading ride share company Grab, costly and increasingly inefficient. which has 500,000 drivers in six In Manila, the capital of the Launched in December 2016, the countries. Grab has been united with Philippines, chronic traffic problems Open Transport Partnership, aims to the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund, cost their economy $60m each day, solve those problems by using big to build an open source platform that’s roughly £47m. data. The partnership, funded by for using anonymised GPS data the World Bank, involves the World generated by Grab drivers. The In a bid to tackle the issue, more than Resources Institute and NDrive, data is being used to analyse traffic 40 cities are joining forces with ride- which produces GPS products and congestion at peak travel times. hailing taxi companies to use their maps. GPS data to work out how to ease The World Bank’s open data initiative congestion. Together they aim to change the way is similar to other traffic monitoring big data companies collaborate with products such as the Google- This will be done through an open government. owned Waze, which sends real-time source platform developed by the information to drivers through its app. World Bank. It sees the ride-hailing The Open Transport Partnership firms share information about traffic builds upon the success of an earlier, speeds and patterns, as well as award winning pilot called Open specific incidents. Traffic, which was launched in Cebu in the Philippines in 2012 and won What’s the story? Perhaps unsurprisingly Manila is one a national e-governance award in Philippines’ Department of of the first cities signed up to the 2013. Transportation, the World Bank, initiative. During the evening rush National Association of City hour, motorists can spend two furious ‘We have talked about a number Transport Officials (North America), hours negotiating eight kilometres of of indicators for success for open World Resources Institute, OECD- road. traffic,’ said Holly Krambeck, Senior International Transport Forum, Grab, Transport Economist at the World Easy Taxi, Le.Taxi, NDrive, Miovision, These challenges are echoed in Bank. ‘If our counterparts are Mapzen, Korea Green Growth Trust other cities in Asia, such as Delhi, able to make use of the data for Fund. which had a population of 19 their investment or management million in 2012 and Karachi, whose decisions, that is a win for us. In population was 21.2 million in 2012. Cebu, we are experimenting with the data to optimise traffic signal timing plans. In metropolitan Manila,

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 71 methods of data capture and onto What has been open platform systems. Developing What have been cities like Manila still use human the impact? the key elements monitors for collecting traffic data, In essence, the project is still in its which is both costly and inefficient. pilot stage. of success? The World Bank is now teaching In essence, the project is still in its government workers how to read and However, in Cebu the partnership To date, the partnership has seen interpret the data.. is experimenting with the data to government in developing countries optimise traffic signal timing plans. make use of more efficient big data In metropolitan Manila, the transport and this will allow a more structured department has been using data to and accurate response to traffic Who are the collect travel time information. issues. key contacts? Completed by Holly Krambeck, Eventually the data will form a Senior Transport Economist coherent strategy looking at traffic What has at The World Bank signal timing plans, public transit provision, roadway infrastructure been learned? This case study was prepared by our needs, emergency traffic So far, one of the main hurdles partners at apolitical – see separate management, and travel demand has involved shifting public sector listing for more information and to join management. workers away from traditional their exciting network.

Floods to space flights: government challenging startups to solve intractable problems

When a flood hits, how can projects are underway, and Martin The process is designed partly authorities30 reach the people who hopes to make the devices more to help SMEs learn about working desperately need to know? widely available from March. with the public sector, while giving government a low-risk way of working The Scottish Environment Protection ‘The goal is to help [communities] with small, nimble businesses. Agency (SEPA) realised it faced take action earlier to improve exactly this problem. It collects a resilience to flooding events, CivTech is the latest example of lot of information about flooding, especially in locations where existing a flourishing trend. Around the world, but much of it is aimed largely infrastructure is not available,’ governments and international at a specialist audience of first Martin said. organisations are increasingly responders, while SEPA wasn’t adopting similar challenge-based able to get alerts to many smaller The project came about thanks to models, in which they publicly communities. the Scottish Government’s CivTech advertise problems they need to program. Run by the country’s digital solve and incentivise inventive Gary Martin, founder of the small directorate and first devised in 2015, companies to come up with the company RiverTrack, thinks he CivTech connects the government answer. has the answer. Using an array of to innovative SMEs. Businesses low-cost sensors positioned over are invited to pitch solutions to ‘It’s massively accelerating,’ said waterways, Martin’s system can advertised ‘challenges,’ such as Tris Dyson, director of the Challenge broadcast real-time data on water SEPA’s, and the best are allocated Prize Center at Nesta, which works levels to displays positioned in funding and support to develop with governments around the world community centres, businesses or their ideas. to design prize schemes aimed at even individual homes. Two pilot finding solutions to tricky challenges.

72 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy The European Union is increasingly Amsterdam, The Hague and British spacecraft on the moon to send adopting a challenge model for its Columbia have developed their own images back to earth. This month, Horizon 2020 research program, versions thanks to original’s success. bosses announced that nobody was Dyson said, and the UK, Canadian going to win the prize and shuttered and US governments all use it to But, cautions Dyson, a challenge- the scheme. ‘They’d just been too varying extents. Popularity is growing based approach isn’t suitable for ambitious with what they thought in the Middle East, too. Dyson every problem. It ‘more or less it companies could do and what they and his team will generally have as works where… there is a defined thought the investment opportunities many as 12 or 13 projects running problem, where there is a lack of were for companies coming in,’ at any time. innovation happening, and where Dyson said. you’ve got a pretty good idea of The United States’ Small Business where innovators could be brought in ‘You can also make it too easy in a Innovation Research (SBIR) project to address the problem and do better sense,’ Dyson added, ‘because if the is a particularly well-established, than what is happening,’ Dyson said. bar’s not sufficiently high then what’s national-level example of the trend. the point, frankly, you’re solving a Federal government agencies with ‘That’s not, by any stretch of the problem that doesn’t need solving.’ more than $100 million dollars to imagination, any context. if you’ve spend on external R&D are required got a problem where you know who CivTech is gearing up for another to dedicate 3.2% of their budget can solve it, you just pay them to round of bids: its third incarnation, to projects funded through SBIR. solve it.’ comprising 14 challenges from Current challenges range from public sector organisations, will be designing training simulators for the And the challenges themselves launched in first quarter of 2018. navy to finding new ways of mapping must be carefully designed to avoid online activity on a large scale. collapsing the whole initiative. While Meanwhile, Dyson is confident that the point of this kind of scheme is to governments will continue to use the Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the city be ambitious and innovative, Dyson challenge prize model: ‘Its time has government is recruiting startups to said that it’s possible to aim too high. come,’ he said. tackle local problems with its Startup In Residence (STIR) program. He gives the example of Google’s Apolitical is a global platform for Different departments work alongside Lunar X initiative, which offered a public servants. It publishes articles the businesses so they can develop $20 million grand prize back in 2007 about what’s working in policy realistic tenders based on the for the first privately funded team making and allows public servants to challenges they have identified. that could land and pilot a robot connect with their colleagues around the world. It has a particular focus on government innovation.

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Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 73 How can policymakers get the most out of data? Ask Churchill

Only 44% of UK civil servants use data to inform decisions – this new app aims to change that

A new app is giving policymakers the and official UK statistics into a central allows policymakers to call up data data they need at a moment’s notice. database, via each organisation’s to answer their specific queries. The Developed31 by the Department for Application Programming Interface current version of the app brings Work and Pensions digital team, the (API). This includes employment and together welfare data from the DWP’s ‘Churchill’ app allows civil servants to labour market data from NOMIS and Stat-Xplore, and official labour call statistical data to their fingertips, welfare data from the DWP’s Stat- market statistics from NOMIS. replacing the weighty document Xplore. The team plans to embed an packs they currently struggle analytics function into future versions Using drop-down menus, through. Users select the data they of the app, which would allow users policymakers select the data they want, in the location and time frame to highlight and manipulate data need – such as the number of people they need, and the app generates within the visualisations. on jobseekers allowance – alongside a clear, easy-to-understand the location and time period they visualisation. The project team is now The DWP team developed the would like to survey, and immediately developing the tool to handle data app using their existing research generate easy-to-use visualisations. from other departments across the and development budget and it UK government. has been running since mid-2016. Initially developed for the DWP, While coming up with the concept the team are now making changes for the app was straightforward, which will allow the app to be used Results & Impact building it required more effort across UK government departments. Previously, policymakers at the and took significantly longer. With Several have already requested that Department for Work and Pensions digital projects springing up across their data be made available via the (DWP) would receive weighty government, standards for any tool. document packs which took time new digital product have risen. The to work through and understand. project team has concentrated on ‘We want to facilitate open A 2015 report by the business making sure its visualisations meet policymaking,’ said Ryan Dunn, head analytics consultancy SAS reported these standards. of data science at the DWP Digital that, out of over 1,000 civil servants hub in Newcastle, where the app surveyed, just 44% said that future The development team is now was developed. ‘Policymakers from strategy decisions are generally working on a way to get data from different government departments evidence-based. The app has across government departments to are picking up their iPads and received positive feedback from work through the app. Ryan Dunn, having conversations using Churchill its current users for its ease of use, the project’s lead, believes the app to explore relevant data for policy and also from external organisations could spark open data sharing design.’ which were asked to test it for across government departments and its potential to transform the way with the public. UK government departments have government works. Many other used data to inform policymaking for government departments, including With a new app, UK public servants many years, but many policymakers the Department for Transport, and can quickly and easily get the data still have problems accessing and the NHS are now keen for their data they need to inform policymaking. using data. A 2015 report by the to be made available via the app. With a simple interface and clear, business analytics consultancy SAS digestible data visualisations, reported that out of over 1,000 civil The Churchill app compiles data the Churchill app pulls relevant servants surveyed, just 44% said from official sources for policymakers economic data from open and that future strategy decisions are to see on their computers and official sources into one place. It’s generally evidence-based. David tablets. Users narrow their selection described by its creators as ‘data for Halpern, head of the government’s down according to which metric people who don’t like data’. Behavioural Insights Team, which they want to track, where, and for pioneered large-scale data analysis how long. The selected data is then Churchill was developed by to inform its decisions, has stressed presented in clear and easy-to- the Department of Work and the need for empirical policymaking: understand visualisations. The team Pensions’ (DWP) digital team and ‘It’s a perpetual testing and built the app by drawing open data

74 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy improving, a kind of restlessness, Dunn’s team began to develop the ‘We’re pushing culture change and there are very few places that app in mid-2016, using the existing in terms of the way that people are any way down that road.’ research and development budget consume and interact with data’ for DWP Digital. The team has been Before Churchill, policymakers at in constant dialogue with DWP There have been challenges along the DWP had to request customer policymakers to help fit the app to the way. With the government information from analysts. They their needs. developing ever more digital would receive this in large document products, standards have risen in packs that took time to work through ‘This is a digital open data product the past few years. While the utility of and which and sometimes didn’t which we’re developing into a the app was clear, developing it has answer all their questions, making service,’ said Dunn. ‘We started by been more difficult, and has taken follow-up requests necessary. understanding user needs. Sitting time. ‘Conceptually it’s quite a simple with a lot of policymakers and thing but on a practical level actually Churchill means policymakers analysts and understanding their building the infrastructure behind can interpret the data themselves. relationship with data and how they it has been quite time-consuming,’ Describing how the app works, interact with it.’ said Dunn. Dunn said: ‘We draw data in from various sources using APIs, store it Dunn’s team has been soliciting The team now hope the Churchill in a database and present it visually feedback from governmental example could lead to a wider using what, where, and when departments, external organisations, use of data in government. The principles. When could be looking and the users themselves, who project fulfills many of the aims of at trends, or a specific point in time. can use the app itself to submit the Cabinet Office’sOpen Policy Where would be various different feedback. Agenda, which encourages civil geographies, local authorities or servants to create policy iteratively parliamentary constituencies.’ ‘We’ve had really positive feedback, by testing their proposals against which I think about on two levels: data as they go forward. The app allows policymakers to the potential and the here and now,’ experiment quickly and easily said Dunn. ‘Full Fact [the UK’s Dunn hopes the app will also without waiting for relevant data to independent fact-checking charity] encourage data sharing across be prepared for them or having to for example are very impressed with boundaries. ‘Having data from search for it from various disparate the potential for the service to set different government departments sources. a new standard for publishing data sat alongside each other in a way online.’ they can be compared easily ‘We’re pushing culture change makes sense, and we’re working in terms of the way that people ‘Users from HM Treasury have talked to keep the interface as intuitive as consume and interact with data,’ about how intuitive it is to use, and possible,’ he said. ‘We’re working said Dunn. ‘Policymaking is a very the value of the Agile approach in with Government Digital Service to investigative and iterative process: being responsive and reactive to consider how we may incorporate finding trusted data, putting it into their needs, and iterating to introduce the work being done on registers an application to examine it, and new data and new features. We’ve and with the ONS (Office for National then deciding whether it is what you also had a lot of positive comments Statistics) on some of their work on need. Users from HM Treasury have on how the clean visual presentation future APIs.’ described the frustrating inefficiency makes the data easier to consume,’ in this process – downloading data, said Dunn. Apolitical is a global platform for mapping it and redoing it. Churchill public servants. It publishes articles makes this whole process much So far, officials from the National about what’s working in policy more slick.’ Health Service and the Department making and allows public servants to for Transport have expressed their connect with their colleagues around interest in the app. the world. It has a particular focus on government innovation.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 75 Winning London Borough of Culture without a project plan – Waltham Forest’s agile story

Rather than running their campaign having managed to get so many Introduction with a leviathan of project plan in the people passionately engaged with A few32 weeks into a major project our proposals, what on earth are we gas tank, they embraced an Agile in July 2017 – a campaign to approach, in leadership, process going to do if we don’t win?’. become the first London borough and in style. They trusted that if they Expectations were high, and having of culture – the project leads set boundaries, were responsive and built ‘off the scale’ momentum and decided to…’ditch the project plan’. pivoted when needed, together with good will across the borough, the The London Borough of Waltham the community, they would ‘figure it team were petrified that losing, would Forest’s goal was simple: ‘to make out’. send the morale of staff and citizens, a win inevitable’. The only problem into a nose dive. was how – and this was uncharted And that’s exactly what they did. territory. They experimented, reached out to What an odd (or maybe privileged the community and responded to is a better word) position to be in? Nobody, let alone their small team, the opportunities and creativity their Staff, service users, and citizens, had tried anything like this before. campaign stirred up (and it stirred up rooting for the project to succeed. But they recognised that the a lot). Passionately believing that winning project plan they’d just binned was would genuinely improve the lives of essentially ‘made up’ – a façade The approach meant they needed a the borough’s residents. Forgetting designed to help them fool one different kind of project organisation; the fear of failure for a moment, another into believing they knew what one that contrasted with the way it’s worth exlporing how the team they should be doing. So, when they in which ‘normal’ public services created the environment they found did the rip up the plan, they found projects are typically delivered in themselves operating within? themselves liberated to develop a three ways. Waltham Forest realised radically different type of project they needed to: Freedom to achieve objectives organisation, leadership style and 1. provide a space for staff and but with clear boundaries organisational culture. citizens to develop the outcomes; The project team were give the set boundaries, but give them a freedom to define and decide how On 27 February 2018, Waltham lot of freedom they would achieve their goal; how Forest found out it was going to they’d bring the bid home to the 2. experiment unflinchingly, and become London’s first Borough of borough. But this freedom came with Culture. After many months of blood when (not if!) things failed, recognise it early and fix it clear boundaries delivered from ‘on sweat and tears, they’d done it; high’: they’d smashed it out of the park, quickly; and most importantly 1. Rather than having to balance a they’d won. 3. communicate to unleash handful of projects each, bid team excitement and creativity; when members needed to be dedicated the response came, follow the to the bid. They needed to live it community’s energy and passion, and breathe it; facilitate, help and structure it in The essence 2. Every day the team needed to You might assume that Waltham order to develop real community- ‘huddle’; a quick meeting to: owned outcomes. Forest won the competition to a.identify barriers and to address become the first London Borough them with the senior sponsor (who of Culture (a concept inspired by would reliably be in the room); the European capital of culture) b. to review work delivered to because they ‘threw more money at The case date; it’ than the other 21 applicants. Not Two weeks before the Mayor of c. to spot changes in the shifting so. What set Waltham Forest apart London announced the winning bid, landscape; and to was their approach to achieving their the project team found themselves 4. prioritise the next day’s work aspiration. in the deeply uncomfortable position with the input of the senior of asking themselves: ‘hang on, sponsor.

76 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy 3. The team’s work had to be ideas into something tangible. first thought in tomorrow’s 9am is: focussed around five ‘bid Although the team were responsible ‘hang on, we haven’t really done this aspirations’, the non-negotiable for ‘pulling together the bid’, and before have we?’, do have another outcomes that senior leaders, staff, running the campaign, the ideas, option. But taking this approach service users and citizens had opportunities, feedback and requires those public servants, designed together. If a piece of sometimes issues, came from and their organisations to ask three work or initiative didn’t contribute the community. And when the searching questions of themselves: to one of these aspirations, it too, community engaged, the bid team 1. Sure, we’ll need to set some was ditched. were there to respond. When an boundaries, but having done It’s worth noting that various other artist would call in the evening with so, can we let go and create the people joined ‘the daily huddle’ a great idea (they invariably do...) space to genuinely engage, excite and in the last few weeks of the bid, they picked up the phone. They and trust staff, service users and people were being pulled in from didn’t take two months to reflect and residents to develop creative left right and centre. However, to respond, they responded the same solutions to our problem together? keep decision making effective and day, and maintained the momentum 2. Of course, some things (and most manageable, the lead sponsor asked they’d created as a result. things initially) won’t work out. people to leave (harsh!) whenever The purpose of their campaign was That’s fine. But can we create their part was done. In many to unleash excitement and creativity, an environment where organisations, people would think but having done so, the team were our organisation can park its twice to ask a senior person to leave ready to facilitate, helping the fear of failure (accepting it as a meeting. In Waltham Forest, this community to shape, and own the an inevitable part of the process), behaviour was regarded as perfectly outcomes and changes they wanted recognising it early, either sensible, especially by the chief to see in their own community. They stopping or pivoting to take executive! Hierarchy was secondary did the exact opposite of saying a different course? to the goal. ‘thank you for your input, and we’ll 3. When those outside our flock take it from here’. come up with great ideas, can we quickly facilitate, provide help Conclusion and structure, or just say no, and Developing a bid to become the explain why? Can we also resist Fail, and fix fast London Borough of Culture was the temptation to either take over The team embraced the attitude of not something anyone had any or say ‘thank you, we will consider fail, and fix fast. Experimentation experience of. As it was a brand-new it and get back to you in two was encouraged, recognising that initiative, Waltham Forest didn’t have months’ time’? Can we be agile, many of their ideas and initiatives, a template project plan with a set and make it happen? at least at first, just wouldn’t work. At of tried and tested activities. They the start of the journey, recognising realised along the way they just had For those public servants who they didn’t have professional bid to ‘figure it out’. And rather than do can honestly answer ‘yes’ to these writers in-house, the team bought the tempting thing (figure it out alone, questions, there’s light at the end of them in. However, they soon realised and probably in secret), they had to the tunnel. Rather than continuing to their ‘guns for hire’ simply couldn’t find the courage do the ‘figuring out’ pretend we all have the solutions to authentically reflect the style and together, with community. the complex challenge we face on a culture of their borough. After a few Public services often find themselves daily basis (we don’t), taking an agile weeks, they took bid-writing back in the position of doing things that approach (as Waltham Forest have in-house. simply haven’t been done before; shown) might just help us all, ‘figure they find themselves in unchartered it out’. Stir up excitement, then respond territory. And on these occasions, quickly and facilitate developing, and trying to follow a Of course, you can’t instruct the masterfully colour coded project community to participate. You can plan won’t cut it. The plan might give Who are the only engage, excite, wait…and hope project managers, senior leaders for a response. In Waltham Forest’s and politicians the feeling of control, key contacts? case, the response came. Rather but that feeling is illusory. Matt Barnaby, Director, Basis than beating their heads against a The approach Waltham Forest used Ltd – [email protected], post trying to get people involved, when faced with the unknown, could 07791005215 or the office rather than ‘pushing’ their plan on the be used in countless other situations. James Partis, James.Partis@ community, they quickly found they Complex problems that require walthamforest.gov.uk had people knocking on their door creative, flexible and fundamentally to get involved. The community was new solutions can’t be solved by ‘pulling’ expertise from the team to locking a few experts in a room. help them self-organise and turn their Fortunately, public servants whose

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 77 The state of transformation survey

What should the PSTA do to support public service transformation? The top five most valuable things that the PSTA could do:

develop the leadership share learning, transformation training good practice, 1 offer 2 and coaching 3 case studies

encourage campaign We’re not sure about and/or facilitate for government number five – we probably collaboration 5 to create a better prefer to bear witness than 4 across public environment to campaign – but all the sector bodies for transformation top four are in place!

The Public Service Transformation Academy The PSTA was established as a Realising outcomes Partners in the PSTA include not-for-dividend social enterprise charities, social enterprises and partnership in 2016 to drive collaboratively commercial businesses – each better outcomes by developing The diverse membership bringing their own networks the capability of organisations of expertise and insight: and ethos of the PSTA that deliver public services to RedQuadrant is the lead partner collaborate, innovate and lead reflects our recognition and delivery partners include the – to transform themselves.. that, to realise better Whitehall & Industry Group (lead outcomes, the different delivery partner), NCVO, E3M, The PSTA came together as the professions and operations TSIP, Basis, Numbers for Good, delivery partner of the Cabinet that serve the public the Alliance for Useful Evidence Office Commissioning Academy must speak each other's (part of Nesta), LocalGov Digital, (on behalf of DCMS) and the Collaborate, Browne Jacobson languages and create shared custodian of the Public Service LLP, and members of the former Transformation Network’s understanding. The work Public Service Transformation knowledge resources. of transforming systems Network. to realise better outcomes is inherently and inevitably multi- and inter-disciplinary.

78 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy l we actively support and Commissioning To drive better promote everything, every Academy organisation, and every event public outcomes, that’s useful to enable public The Commissioning Academy service transformation. is designed to give organisations we enable public the tools, techniques and services to transform PSTA partners are selected for confidence to approach the their unique offers in this space, most challenging issues facing themselves. We build and we support and promote communities in a collaborative, capacity and work aligned organisations. creative and evidence-driven way. The Commissioning Academy is primarily with leaders We aim to be a successful, delivered through two models: in the emergent self-funding social enterprise l National Commissioning space between – we cannot distribute surplus, Academies – run three times so we will reinvest in-year. a year, any organisations ‘cutting edge’ ideas delivering service to the public may apply and commoditised, Based on a survey of l participants in past programmes: Custom Commissioning codified methods. Academies – are designed l 98 per cent of those surveyed with a sponsoring organisation reported making useful to focus on a locality or theme. We aim to: connections l ‘do ourselves out of work’: l 91 per cent said it was a good Each Commissioning Academy create the capability and or excellent use of their time takes place over five full days spread over four months capacity so that we are not l 88 per cent said that the needed any more; comprising masterclasses, expert Academy was either good, speakers, a site visit, peer-to-peer l develop organisations and or excellent value for money challenge and practical action sectors – not just individuals l 91 percent report the academy planning to apply commissioning (but, of course, we work first was either relevant or highly practices to the pressing issues with individuals); and relevant to learning needs facing each organisation. l build self-supporting networks l 87 per cent said they would of public service leaders. recommend the academy to their colleagues and peers. ‘It’s a worthwhile investment. We work for public services not I found it a really useful just the public sector, and with experience. Coming into it all those who can be influential with other people from your in achieving positive outcomes. ‘Thank you so much for organisation, makes a big an inspirational programme difference in terms of being We seek to be influential to that has allowed us to think able to go back into the steer effective public service differently to provide innovate office and think about what transformation. projects to engage volunteers you’ve taken from each of the – where they feel valued and sessions and each of the site Our space is unique: supported. You definitely visits and translate that into l we don’t represent anyone helped to get rid of the ‘cob what might you do differently or any sector, we don’t have webs’ by introducing new within your organisation.’ government mandate beyond methods and ways of driving Assistant Director, Adult Social our Commissioning Academy forward and presenting change Care and Health, Barnet concession contract, we don’t in a positive and acceptable need to ‘defend territory’; way.’ Senior Manager, East we can be collaborative of England Ambulance Trust not competitive.

Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service transformation academy 79 Service Transformation Leading Transformation Coaching and Mentoring Programme Programme and shadow consulting The Service Transformation The Leading Transformation for transformation Programme is designed to develop programme is designed to give The PSTA’s coaching practice organisations’ internal capability participants all the theory, models, supports individuals to improve to deliver sustainable change tools, and learning you need to be their thinking, behaviours and and address the challenges a successful transformation leader. performance. It is rooted in the facing public services. Learning The 24 learning modules take you latest discoveries from neuro- is achieved through simulations, on a journey through all the key science and focusses on helping exercises and live examples. skills for leading transformation, individuals become aware of their including system thinking, mental ‘hard wiring’ and learn behavioural insight and demand how to make new connections. ‘I speak for the management management. The online learning Working with a coach can give is supported by webinars, action team when I say that we individuals the really powerful lift learning to apply teh thinking, in- have found your advice, that they need to get the results business support, learning review, support and inexhaustible that they want. a simulation, and hundred day play energy and optimism hugely implementation. helpful over the past few months in identifying several ‘The response from managers of our problem areas and ‘Throughout the Leading has been overwhelmingly implementing solutions’ positive. Not only are we Head of Service, London Transformation Programme it seeing direct improvements Borough of Waltham Forest was really beneficial working with other key colleagues in leadership behaviours and making links between but managers have valued the coaching experience as Digital Analytics different States of Guernsey departments, so there was an opportunity to develop Programme a real benefit of having that personally and as a leader; The digital analytics programme is rich mix of different knowledge and this has positively affected a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and expertise.’ Dermot Mullin, their view of the authority.’ network for local authorities aimed Head of Adult Social Care, Paul McChrystal, Head of at helping members implement States of Guernsey Workforce Development, new customer contact and service Leicester City Council delivery models and realise benefits from digital technology. ‘What I liked about the programme particularly was that I could study at my own ‘One instant change is that we pace and fit it around my work. have used the data to make a Revisiting the things I have case for changing some of our done in past courses and service KPIs that are outdated, picking up new hints and tips but have been seen as ‘not to about what is being done today, be touched’ by senior figures. as supposed to what I have The benchmarking data has covered several years ago Andrew helped make the case.’ is beneficial for my day-to-day Fellowes, Sheffield City Council business’ Ed Ashton, Deputy Chief Office, Social Security Department, States of Guernsey

80 Public service: state of transformation 2018 Report from the public service trasformation academy it doesn’t have to be this way The public service: state of transformation conference from the Public Service Transformation Academy

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